The Journey
by Broe929
Summary: Join AJ Lee as she remembers all the important moments, the ups and the downs that led her and CM Punk to the most important day of their lives.
1. A Good Night

**A/N: New story everyone! In honor of it being June I thought it would be fun to take a fictional look at the journey to the alter for Punk and AJ. Let me know what you think so far and a special thanks to all my loyal readers who have followed all of my stories, I do this for you! Oh and obviously I own nothing :/**

* * *

**Part I: A Good Night**

* * *

As AJ Lee stood in front of the mirror she examined herself in her long white dress and ran her hands gently down the thin vale that was cascading down her face and falling past the length of her dress. She took a breath as she watched her reflection. She never thought she'd find a man who would fully accept her for her who she is and would want to spend the rest of their life with her. The only thing more surprising than her wedding? The groom himself, which was none other than Phil Brooks aka CM Punk. For many reasons she thought this would never happen first being: he was not the 'settling' down type, second: once walking away from the company she feared their relationship was going to stray but instead it was tested and strengthened and sure enough a few short months after walking away from his job she was about to marry him. Of course there were some bumps in the road along the way and it was far from smooth sailing but she couldn't help but flashback to the moment she knew that lead her to _this_ moment.

_"I don't know what you want me to say" Trent Barretta shrugged "I'm sorry it was a stupid mistake"_

"_A stupid mistake is forgetting my birthday, sleeping with another woman isn't. There's a lot that goes into it last time I checked!" AJ shouted harshly. She had confronted her boyfriend of two years in their shared hotel room. _

"_I said I was sorry April what do you want from me?" Trent sighed taking a seat on the bed "I swear I was going to tell you"_

"_Oh that makes me feel better. It's just too bad you didn't get a chance to tell me before your new girlfriend went on a very public and embarrassing twitter rant" AJ said fighting back tears_

"_She's not my girlfriend" Trent said to her "You are"_

"_How could you say that?" AJ asked "Why did you do this?" she said as the tears rolled down and she hated he saw her like this._

"_It wasn't about you April" Trent said shaking his head "It was about me. I've been under so much stress and let's be honest it's going to be a matter of time before Vince hands me my pink slip"_

"_So you should have talked to me about it not jumped into bed with the first floozy who batted their eyelashes at you!" AJ yelled. Even though she was yelling the pain was far more evident in her voice. _

"_I didn't want to bring you down" Trent insisted "You're doing so great here you're the GM and then going into a program with Cena and Ziggler- I didn't want to taint you against the company"_

"_Oh gee thank you for looking out for me" AJ bit back sarcastically "I guess you don't think I have enough intelligence to be able to separate the two issues"_

"_I don't know what more I can possibly say to make this better" Trent said standing up and walking over to her "I love you April and I'm sorry"_

"_Me too" AJ frowned avoiding eye contact and staring at her feet as she spoke "I'm sorry that you felt you couldn't turn to me"_

"_April-" he started again but stopped when she looked up _

"_I should go" AJ said briefly meeting his eyes then stepped away and grabbed her rollaway luggage. _

"_You stay here I'll leave" Trent said stopping her before she reached the door "I'm the one that screwed up not you"_

"_Ok" AJ agreed lightly still avoiding his eyes. He collected his bag and stopped in front of her before finally leaving _

"_I love you" he said kissing the top of her head before walking out of her door and out of her life. _

"_I love you too" she muttered to the empty room resting her back against the door before sliding down it and allowing herself to fully cry._

* * *

AJ didn't think anything would be as painful as that moment and at that point in time she didn't think she'd ever get over Trent. Looking back on it now she felt silly. Sure she loved Trent but she wasn't _in love_ with Trent. But again at that point in time she didn't think anything could help her out of her funk but sure enough one man was able to. And her comfort came from a man that other men feared and the bosses deemed 'difficult'. Not many people were able to see Punk's sweet and soft side but for AJ that was the only side she knew.

_About half an hour later there was a knock at the door and AJ was still in her position on the floor. She tried to ignore the knocking but it became more persistent so she eventually stood up and swung the door open. _

"_I can't do this again" AJ said as she opened the door but frowned further when she didn't find Trent but CM Punk instead. He was truly one of her best friends inside the company and out. "Punk-" she started trying to hold back her tears but he just stepped past her and into the room closing it behind him_

"_I know" Punk said pulling her into his loving arms "It's going to be ok" he assured her as his chin rested on top of her head and he ran his free hand through her long wavy hair. _

"_It hurts" she confided as she openly sobbed against his chest _

"_I know" the WWE champion repeated soothingly _

_After ten minutes of holding her she finally pulled away feeling she couldn't cry anymore. _

"_I'm sorry" she said wiping her tears_

"_Don't worry about it shorty" he smirked brushing his thumb against her cheek wiping away a few tears she had just missed "I'd ask if you were ok but I got my answer"_

"_I will be. I just needed to get it out" AJ said feeling herself calm down finally "What are you doing here?"_

"_I'm staying with Mike and Trent showed up with his bag in hand and asking to crash with us" Punk said to her "He told Mike the story so I thought I'd come down here and check on you"_

"_You're always looking out for me" AJ faintly smiled _

"_And I always will" Punk said giving her a smile that made her heart melt _

"_What am I going to do?" AJ sighed moving to the bed and taking a seat at the edge of it_

"_What do you mean?" Punk frowned _

"_I love him" AJ said tilting her head with a frown _

"_I know you do and that should make this all the more easy for you" Punk said coolly "You trusted him, he lied and he'll do it again"_

"_Do you really believe that?" AJ asked skeptically as he took a seat next to her_

"_AJ you've been nothing but loyal and supportive and clearly he can't handle the fact that you're moving on in the company and he's stuck." Punk said to her seriously "And in all honesty he's the biggest idiot I've ever met and you my dear can do better than an idiot" _

"_He's not an idiot" AJ argued back_

"_Anyone who would cheat on you is a fool" Punk told her firmly "Even I know that"_

"_That's very sweet of you" AJ smirked lightly "Thank you for checking up on me but I know you're busy you don't have to stay"_

"_Nonsense" Punk said with a wave of his hand "I thought we'd get some room service and watch a few movies"_

"_Really?" AJ asked and Punk simply nodded "You want to stay in on a rare night off with me?"_

"_There's no one else I'd rather stay in with" Punk grinned causing her to blush lightly _

"_How about your girlfriend?" AJ said with a chuckle_

"_Amy isn't here because we're not together this week" Punk said to her with a light laugh_

"_I feel like you two spend more time arguing then getting along" AJ said to him lightly_

"_We do" Punk agreed "But the good times outweigh the bad ones. We'll be back together by Thursday" he remarked smugly_

"_I hope so" AJ said to him "I know how happy she makes you" _

"_Yea" Punk said with a slow nod "But I'm more concerned with your happiness right now"_

"_I'll be fine" AJ said to him "I feel stupid to be honest. I mean it was one thing to get called out on Twitter like we we're in high school but there were so many signs"_

"_Like what?" Punk asked arching a brow slightly _

"_Like how he was secretive with his phone and he hadn't wanted to-" AJ stopped herself mid-sentence though _

"_He hadn't what?" Punk asked _

"_You know…" AJ urged not wanting to say it out loud _

"_Nope afraid not you're going to have to be a little more clear" Punk said seriously as her cheeks turned bright red causing him to grin "You are such a prude" he laughed _

"_I am not!" AJ said smacking his arm causing him to flinch and run his other free hand over it to rub the sting away _

"_So just say it then" Punk said still laughing _

"_He didn't want to sleep with me" AJ said firmly causing him to laugh only more "There I said it!" she said proudly which only made him enjoy this more "And to prove I'm not a prude I tried everything and it didn't work. I just assumed he wasn't attracted to me anymore"_

"_First of all there is no way any red blooded male wouldn't be attracted to you" Punk assured her still grinning from her outburst _

"_I don't know about that" AJ said shyly_

"_AJ are you kidding me?" Punk asked seriously "Even in your new GM shorts you are the hottest Diva in the locker room" he confirmed "I have to be honest even I have concentrating when we're working together when you come skipping out"_

"_You're just saying that because I'm your friend" AJ said shaking her head lightly "I'm not tall or blonde or big busted- I don't fit the mold of what a Diva should be in the company"_

"_No you don't" Punk agreed "You broke the mold" he said causing her eyes to soften by his statement _

"_Like you did?" AJ asked_

"_You did it better" Punk said giving her half a smile "And I have to be honest I love your body" _

"_Punk" she said lightly _

"_Seriously you are beautiful" Punk said brushing her hair out of her face lightly "And you are hands done one of my favorite kissers"_

"_Do you mean TV scripted kisses or do all your kisses in your lifetime count?" AJ asked folding her arms _

"_In my lifetime" Punk confirmed placing his hand on her chin to examine her lips "Those lips are very dangerous if I do say so myself" _

"_Trent doesn't seem to think so" AJ said to him sadly causing him to frown _

"_Trent never deserved them" Punk shot smoothly not missing a beat locking his eyes on her lips. She caught on to this and couldn't help but lean in closer and before she knew it her lips were on his. It started off slow but before she knew it she felt his tongue tease her bottom lip and she immediately granted him access. _

_AJ wasn't sure what was happening but it was happening fast. It didn't take long before she was lying on top of him on the bed with her legs straddling his waist. She couldn't believe they were able to keep up at this pace without coming up for air but when they did he spoke first. _

"_AJ…" Punk started panting lightly for breath "…I can't do this to you. You're vulnerable" _

"_I'm not vulnerable I am never vulnerable" She said firmly before kissing his lips again lightly "I'm sad and I want to feel better" she said once she pulled away again _

"_I can help with that" he said before flipping the two over and he was now on top of her "I'll treat you the way you deserved to be treated" Punk promised before his lips moved to her neck and AJ could already feel the difference between Punk and Trent. _

_The next morning AJ woke up in her hotel room and was actually surprised to see Punk sleeping soundly next to her. Their night was long and although she'd never admit it was the best night of her life. _

"_Morning" AJ said to him nervously starting to feel shy_

"_Don't be shy" he grinned "No reason for that anymore" he said with a yawn as he slowly sat up "Are you ok?"_

"_Yes" AJ said biting her lower lip "I'm sorry if you felt I pushed you into this" he let out a laugh as he looked over to her_

"_Believe me you didn't push me into anything" Punk assured her "I just- I don't want you to think that-"_

"_I don't" She said cutting him off knowing exactly where he was going with this "I'm not ready for a relationship and you already have one" she assured him "This was just a good night" Punk smiled at her as she kept the bed sheets pulled up to her chin nearly _

"_A really good night" Punk added smugly _

"_Don't be smug" AJ warned _

"_Alright" Punk said to her_

"_Oh god" AJ muttered pulling the sheets over her face_

"_What?" Punk asked lightly pulling them back down to see her face _

"_I'm Trent" AJ said to him with watery eyes _

"_I assure you- you are not Trent" Punk said eyeing her and subconsciously running his tongue over his bottom lip _

"_No I don't mean physically" AJ said annoyed "You're in a relationship! And I slept with you! I'm the other woman"_

"_I told you last night we are not together at this point of time" Punk said to her then gave her sympathetic eyes "But I would like to be again soon and if history is any indication then we will be and I you know you're one of my best friends and I don't want last night to change anything" _

"_It won't" AJ promised sitting up and grabbing his hand lightly "And I really appreciate you for staying with me last night I think I really needed it" _

"_Anytime" Punk remarked jokingly "Seriously I had a really good time too" he then kissed the top of her head lightly "Want to grab breakfast, my treat?"_

"_Yes I am starving" AJ said seriously as she watched Punk get out of the bed and he was completely butt-naked "Oh Punk" she said covering her eyes and she could her him laugh _

"_I think we're a little past the point of embarrassment shorty" Punk said removing her hand so she was looking at him _

"_Ugh" AJ said getting out of the bed and firmly wrapping the sheets around her body so he couldn't even get a glimpse_

"_All I have to do is close my eyes" Punk said closing his eyes then smiled brightly "Yup there it is" _

"_Stop looking at me naked" she warned slapping his arm with her free hand that wasn't holding her sheet up _

"_I can do it whenever I want now" Punk said slowly opening his eyes and looked down at her "Don't be shy" he said more seriously as he removed her hand clutching the bed sheet wrapped around her small frame "We need to get you out of this shell a little"_

"_I like my shell" she pouted lightly as she let the sheet fall and hit the hotel room carpet _

"_You're beautiful April" Punk confirmed "Don't be ashamed of that" he said kneeling in close to her face. Their lips were mere inches apart but she pulled away quickly and picked up the sheet again _

"_I'll work on it" AJ smirked before heading into the bathroom_

* * *

AJ and Punk went to breakfast that morning and chatted about comics and videogames as they usually did and there was no awkwardness between the two. AJ still wasn't sure how she was able to play it so cool because she knew she loved him she didn't feel she was good enough for him. And it also helped that not long after their one night he took off for a few months for a well-deserved break. She didn't hear from him often but she did get one phone call one night a week before his return at payback was announced.

_It was almost two in the morning and AJ was back at home in Tampa after working for ten days straight. She was alarmed when her phone started to ring and was prepared to ignore it until she saw the name on the caller ID. 'Punky' it read and she quickly reached for it._

_"Hello?" she asked quickly_

_"Hey shorty" Punk said from the other side in a light voice "Did I wake you?"_

_"You know I don't really sleep" AJ reminded him_

_"Yea" Punk said lightly_

_"Are you alright?" AJ questioned_

_"I'm good" Punk said coolly "I wanted you to be the first to know that I'll be back soon"_

_"Really?" she asked almost too excited_

_"Missed me?" he chuckled lightly_

_"Of course!" AJ said with a sigh "Nick and E don't really get my comic book love"_

_"So you miss for me comic and gaming knowledge?" Punk teased_

_"I guess I miss seeing your ugly face" she teased back_

_"I caught some of the show the other night you're doing really good" Punk confirmed "Any chance you're getting that Diva's title in Chicago?"_

_"They haven't said either way" AJ admitted "It would be nice"_

_"You'd wear it proud" Punk agreed_

_"Are you sure you're alright?" AJ questioned noticing his down tone_

_"I just wanted to hear your voice, I needed a little motivation to come back" he told her honestly surprising her in the process_

_"You don't want to come back?" AJ asked frowning herself even though she knew he couldn't see it_

_"Not really" Punk said to her "It's nice to not wince with every step I take" he admitted "I don't really like the story they have picked out for me either but they need me back"_

_"You should be happy" AJ said to him_

_"Are you telling me to blow off Vince McMahon?" Punk laughed "Don't tempt me sweetheart"_

_"You should be happy and not in pain but I want you back" AJ told him "I've truly missed you"_

_"I've missed you too" Punk said with a sigh "Like I said that's why I'm calling I just needed a reason to come back, I needed to hear someone say they missed me"_

_"Everyone misses you" AJ argued lightly_

_"I don't care about everyone" Punk said to her coolly and AJ couldn't help but smile over the phone "I've got to go" He said to her "I'll see you in a week shorty"_

_"Yea" AJ said to him "Oh and Punk I'm glad you're coming back" she said before hanging up_

_"Thanks" he said softly before hanging up_

* * *

AJ didn't realize it then but that phone call was just the beginning of their journey to the alter….


	2. Pinky Promises

**A/N: Ok here's another story simply because I'm enjoying writing it so much! Thanks for all the reviews and tweets!**

* * *

**Part II: Pinky Promises**

* * *

AJ applied more lip-gloss to her already glossy lips and closely examined her face to make sure it looked perfect. She wasn't big on makeup and she wasn't wearing much today either but she wanted to look perfect for _him_. She knew he wouldn't mind if she married him with her hair in a bun and zero makeup but today was far too important for that. These pictures would be around forever and they would be the photos they would show their children one day and she wanted to feel confidant. Again her mind wandered off to when they slowly started to progress into something more and how difficult that was with prying of eyes of not only the public but their co-workers as well.

_"Hey shorty" Punk said jogging up to AJ who was heading down the hall with her Diva's butterfly belt safely nestled on her shoulder._

"_Hey there" AJ grinned. Once Punk returned they had fallen back into their familiar and completely platonic friendly ways and the two didn't really ever mention the one night they shared._

"How's the head?" she asked referring to the stitches he received he previous night at Money In The Bank. 

"_Hurts" Punk admitted lightly "But I'll live"_

"_Good" AJ smirked "What's up?"_

"_So I got a call from Chris Hardwick earlier today you know who that is?" Punk asked as AJ just rolled her eyes_

"_Of course" she said with a laugh "So what did he want?"_

"_You know how they do celebrity charity bowling-" Punk started but AJ held up her hand and stopped him from speaking_

"_Don't even waste your breath I am not doing it" AJ said seriously _

"_Why not?" Punk frowned "It'll be fun Kofi is already in"_

"_I can't bowl" AJ said to him seriously_

"_Oh come on" Punk groaned "I'll tell them to edit out all the bad shots you take"_

"_That'll be all of them" AJ said placing her hands on her hips "Look if you want to win you should ask someone else"_

"_We'll win because I'm playing" Punk said to her smugly "But I want you there regardless" _

"_Why not ask Amy?" AJ suggested_

"_Because Amy doesn't work for WWE" Punk said to her "Please?" he asked pouting his lip _

"_That doesn't work on girls" AJ said with smirk _

"_You're already breaking" Punk pointed out "Come on it'll be fun, we'll eat, hang out and I'll even let you pick one of the charities. I mean you do support helping charities?"_

"_Wow that was low" AJ said "But you win I'm in on two conditions!" she said pointing at him "First is one charity has to be an animal charity"_

"_Deal" Punk agreed "Next"_

"_Second is you don't blame when we lose because you've been warned about how bad I suck" AJ said with wide eyes to get her point across "This isn't going to be one of those things that you mock me for over and over again" _

"_I promise" Punk said to her "Thank you, we're going to have a great time"_

* * *

Of course after her horrible showing at bowling Punk had gone back on his word and made fun of her constantly. It drove her insane and almost made her regret agreeing to do it to begin with but if she hadn't agreed then they wouldn't have been one step closer to finally being together. She often wondered if she would be here today if she hadn't agreed to go bowling because what happened that night was a major step forward for the two.

_"You promised me you wouldn't make fun of me!" AJ said pointing at him. It was about nine at night and they were sitting in a pizzeria across from their hotel_.

"_I lied" Punk admitted "But in all fairness you didn't say you were that bad" he laughed as he took a big bite out of his pizza _

"_I told you" she frowned "You're such a sore loser"_

"_There's no such thing as a good loser. A loser is a loser and you should never be proud of a loss" Punk said to her causing her to roll her eyes _

"_You must have been fun to play sports with when you were a kid" AJ muttered sipping on her drink _

"_I never lost" Punk grinned confidently_

"_Ugh" AJ muttered_

"_Is that all you're going to eat?" Punk asked nodding to her half eaten slice _

"_Oh unlike you I need to weigh a certain amount" AJ laughed "When you're a Diva and have to weigh in every other week you can comment on how much I eat"_

"_You're going to get sick" He said more seriously "You weigh about what 90lbs?"_

"_I'm not going to discuss my weight with you" she warned _

"_Finish your pizza and you won't have to" Punk shot back seriously nodding towards her plate "you have a match on Sunday and I'm sure you passing out a ringside isn't the way you imagined your night"_

"_Who passes out during a match anymore?" AJ mocked but he just glared "Fine" she said picking up the pizza "Happy?" she mocked with a full mouth swallowing the pizza _

"_Very" Punk said happily "So are you going to the Summer Slam red carpet crap show their throwing tomorrow night?" he asked. They were already in LA for the show they arrived early to film the bowling segment and tomorrow would be a full day of events for most of the stars_

"_I'm not attending" she informed him _

"_No way do I have to go to that you're not even showing up" Punk said seriously "How'd you get out of it?"_

"_How can I put this?" AJ asked taping her chin "When you turn down a horribly scripted reality show then maybe you won't be invited to these sort of events either"_

"_You weren't invited?" Punk asked surprised _

"_It was more like 'most of the divas are going to be filming the show if you want to be apart of it, if not eh' sort of thing" AJ said with a shrug "I don't mind and I don't have any signings tomorrow since Total Diva's are taking over that as well so I get the day off"_

"_I'm jealous" Punk said with a smirk_

"_Besides you won't miss there you can drag Amy with you" AJ said to him _

"_Yea she's not flying down" Punk said awkwardly _

"_Why?" AJ frowned. She was sure they were back in a good place _

"_We're trying to give each other space. She'll be in on Sunday for the show though and then we'll sit down and talk things over" Punk admitted_

"_Want to talk about it?" AJ asked _

"_Not really" Punk said cutely "What are your plans for tomorrow?"_

"_I should be going to the gym but I'm thinking about blowing it off and hitting the beach" AJ said to him "Want to tag along? You're looking kind of pale" she said seriously _

"_Yea actually I do" Punk said to her "You don't mind?"_

"_No besides you can help me build a sand castle" AJ said happily _

"_I'm not building a sand castle" Punk said quickly _

"_It's the beach!" AJ said practically shouted "What else would you do there?"_

"_I don't know lay out? Swim in the ocean?" Punk asked causally_

"_Swing in the ocean? With the sharks, jellyfish and crabs?" AJ asked almost stunned _

"_Seriously you're afraid of the ocean?" Punk laughed at her expression _

"_I'm not afraid of the ocean I just-" AJ started then stopped _

"_What?" Punk asked still smiling "Bad experience?"_

"_When I was a kid my parents took us to the beach all of the time because it was free and fun" AJ started "One time we went I was about knee deep and I felt something pinch my toe and I looked down there was crab attached to my toe!" _

"_A little crab scared you off?" Punk laughed_

"_No it gets worse" AJ said to him seriously "As I'm thrashing around screaming trying to get the crab off of my toe I got stung by a jell fish at the same exact time"_

"_You're kidding?" Punk asked still laughing _

"_It's not funny" AJ pouted "It hurt and after that I said I will not go into any ocean that I can't see the floor clearly" _

"_I'll tell you what I'll help you look for shells if you come in the ocean with me" Punk offered but she seemed hesitant "I promise to protect you with my life in that ocean. I will rip any crab off of you and jump in front of any jelly fish you have my word" _

"_Pinky promise?" she asked seriously extending her pinky. Punk just eyed her extended pinky then met her eyes and saw she was serious so he extended his pinky and captured her smaller one with his _

"_Pinky promise" Punk said then lightly kissed their joined pinkies "And a kiss to seal the deal ok?"_

"_Ok" AJ said pulling her hand away and smiling lightly_

* * *

AJ smiled at the memory and when he said '_I promise to protect you with my life_' it gave her butterflies, butterflies she wasn't sure even existed anymore. Even though he was referring to something silly she knew he meant what he was saying and that's when she felt the feelings she had kept buried deep inside start to resurface. He was still with Amy somewhat during that time and she didn't want to push him but that didn't mean she wouldn't want to spend time with him. And after the beach trip she knew she was in deep.

_"I thought **we** were building a sand castle" Punk groaned as AJ was perched on her beach table watching Punk play in the sand as if he was some sort of a child. She was lying on her stomach and using her hands to hold her head up. "Not just **me** building the sand castle"_

"_You're so much better than I am" AJ said simply "Don't forget the mot" _

"_Oh of course" Punk mocked digging around the castle "We have to protect the princess"_

"_Come on you've seen Mario" AJ said seriously "I want it to look just like that"_

"_I'm hot" Punk said placing his hands on his things while his knees were buried in the sand _

"_You're full of yourself" she said seriously causing him to laugh _

"_I meant it's like a hundred degrees I want to cool off" Punk said standing up and extended his hand to AJ "You promised, actually you pinky promised" _

"_Ok" AJ said taking her sunglasses off and removed her bathing suit cover and placing it on her towel. She wasn't wearing a skimpy bikini and Punk could tell she wasn't entirely comfortable in it but she looked amazing to him. Punk in turn pulled his shirt off and thankfully he didn't catch AJ eyeing him, once he turned around she turned around to face the ocean _

"_Ready shorty?" Punk asked as he they headed towards the shoreline _

"_Yup just remember what you promised" AJ said seriously pointing at him as the waves hit their feet first _

_As soon as they hit the water it was freezing causing AJ to flinch _

"_This feels so great" Punk said enjoying the waves as they headed in deeper _

"_Wait for me" AJ said as one wave knocked her under the water. Punk quickly stepped over to her and grabbed her hand pulling her back up _

"_You ok?" he laughed _

"_Great" she said and that's when Punk grabbed her other hand and pulled her further into the water "How deep are we going?" she asked _

"_I've got you" Punk promised and pulled her out even further where he was about hip deep in the water and because of the height difference the water came up to about her chest "Not so bad right?" he asked her _

"_No so far so-" AJ stopped as her eyes widened _

"_What?" he asked alarmed and was knocked over when AJ jumped into his arms _

"_I felt something brush up against my leg!" she shouted wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist _

"_You're ok" He laughed regaining his balance _

"_I felt it" she told him in such a scared face that he couldn't help but smile _

"_I told you I'd protect you" Punk reminded her "You're ok"_

"_I'm not crazy" AJ said seriously _

"_It was probably seaweed" Punk said to her "Do you want to get down?" he asked her _

"_Am I making you uncomfortable?" AJ asked tilting her head slightly offering him a smile _

"_Not at all" He said tightening his grip. And in that moment there eyes were locked and they both knew what the other wanted._

"_Punk" She started and placed her hand on his face "Thanks" she said referring to him keeping his word. He didn't respond he just kept his eyes locked on hers and how her wet hair was no sticking to her face, makeup long gone and in that moment she had never looked more beautiful to him. He wasn't sure how she'd respond but he leaned in and captured her lips with his own. He wasn't sure if he should pull away but when he felt her tongue seeking access he quickly reciprocated and before they knew it they were engaged in a hot and heavy make-out session in the middle of the ocean while AJ still remained wrapped around his body. It wasn't until they were hit by a wave that they were pulled apart. _

"_Cool enough?" AJ asked as Punk helped her back up after being knocked over_

"_I wouldn't say that" Punk grinned sheepishly referring to the searing kiss they had just shared _

"_You know what I mean" AJ smirked _

"_Yea let's layout" Punk said to her _

_Once they made it back to their towels AJ took a seat on hers and Punk looked down at her from a standing position._

"_AJ-" he started _

"_It's fine" she said cutting him off "We got caught up in the moment" she didn't want him to feel guilt because he was still working things out with Amy. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have jumped on you"_

"_It wasn't your fault" Punk smirked taking a seat next to her on his own towel "I really like you AJ I don't want to blow our friendship" she was far to important lose over a stupid fling no matter how badly his body wanted he knew he'd have to control himself. _

"_I know" AJ said forcing a smile. She had just been 'friend-zoned' for the second time by Punk "And you're also still working things out with Amy and I don't want to get in the middle of that at all. I want you to be happy with her"_

"_Yea" Punk said forcing a nod _

"_I'm not going to say anything" AJ said giving him a reassuring smile _

"_I know you wouldn't" Punk said seriously "But I'm not worried about her right now I just feel like I'm giving you a lot of mixed signals" _

"_We're two friends who slept together a long time ago" AJ started off "And we kissed just now and that's it. You're one of my best friends and sometimes our emotions get the best of us. That's it" _

"_We're cool?" Punk asked seriously _

"_Not if you don't shut up and let me rest" she giggled reaching over and grabbing her sunscreen._

"_Alright" He said laying back on his towel and watched as she lathered the sunscreen on her arms, legs and chest. She was having difficulty with her back but she would never ask Punk to do it._

"_Give me" Punk said sitting up extending his hand and she placed the lotion in his hand _

"_Yea you're going to burn" AJ smirked _

"_It's not for me" he said putting it on his hand "Turn around" he instructed and she did so as he carefully and slowly rubbed her back down _

"_Thanks" She muttered lightly and when he was finished he handed her back the lotion _

"_That's what friends are for" Punk said with a wink _

"_Are you sure you don't want sunscreen?" She asked seriously "You're seriously going to burn and you have to be at the red carpet thing tonight-" she started_

"_I'm good AJ" Punk said with a smug smile lying back on his towel "It's all about rotation"_

"_Oh excuse me" she mocked lightly lying back herself_

* * *

The kiss in the ocean was defiantly one of her top favorite kisses she had ever shared with him. It was tender, sweet yet lustful and really pushed of their feelings for each other. And AJ wasn't much of a romantic but she was sure that was probably one of the most random romantic moments ever. She started to blush just remembering the moment and one of her favorite moments? The text she received from Punk later that night '_You were right I'm burnt, I got asked about it on the red carpet. I'm really looking forward to my match with Brock in a few hours…_'. But again this small moment just added more fuel to the fire and she smiled remembering what happened next…


	3. Foolish

**Part III: Foolish**

* * *

As AJ paced lightly back and forth in the hotel room she was waiting in she glanced over to the bed and frowned when she the blue garter belt that Celeste had left with her before joining the rest of the guests downstairs. Though AJ didn't believe in any of the wedding traditions Celeste was horrified when AJ didn't have anything old, new, borrowed or blue. And thankfully she came prepared with just something blue but it fit the criteria of all those descriptions. She presented AJ with the blue garter belt she wore on her wedding day that was only two weeks earlier. It was giving to her as her 'something old and blue' but to AJ it as new (to AJ at least), blue, borrowed (because she promised to get it back to her) and old. She was happy Celeste made it to her wedding even though she had to cut her honeymoon short by a day in order to attend. She credited Celeste in helping her find her way to Punk and when AJ had giving up hope on ever being more than friends with him; Celeste found a way to push them together.

_AJ was sitting in catering at one of the house shows and she lucked out that Celeste would be with her tonight. AJ didn't really fit in with many of the other girls and it was nice to have a traveling buddy. _

"_Hey" Celeste grinned taking a seat across from her "So Phil is here, he flew down and surprised me" she told AJ. Phil and Celeste had been together for a few months now and Celeste was crazy for him._

"_Wow you two have special plans?" AJ asked _

"_Yea since they don't need me Monday or tomorrow they said I can take the next few days" Celeste told her with a frown "Phil got us tickets to fly back to his house but I know I'm traveling with you and I'm not going to ditch you and leave you stranded we can work something else out"_

"_Are you crazy?" AJ questioned "Go! Enjoy I can catch a ride with one of the guys"_

"_Yea I was thinking maybe Punk could give you a lift?" Celeste suggested _

"_He doesn't even have his bus it's in for repairs" AJ pointed out "I'm pretty sure him and Kofi are flying out to the next show"_

"_Can you get a ticket?" Celeste asked_

"_Don't worry about me" AJ insisted "Go and enjoy your time" _

"_Well maybe you could just ask Punk-" Celeste started but AJ stopped her _

"_What is your obsession with Punk?" AJ asked with a sigh "I told you we're just friends"_

"_Yes you were friends because he was with Amy and everyone back here knows they had a blowout fight over Summer Slam weekend and she hasn't been seen since" Celeste pointed out "And that was two weeks ago"_

"_So?" AJ shrugged taking a bite of her salad "He just got out of a relationship I'm not going to throw myself at him"_

"_Why? He threw himself at you when you and Trent and broke up" Celeste said seriously "He had you in bed less than ten minutes after actually-"_

"_Would you keep it down!" AJ hissed in a whisper. Celeste was the only person AJ trusted with that story _

"_You guys had that amazing hot and heavy kiss in the ocean just one day before he dumped his girlfriend doesn't that seem a little too convenient to you?" Celest asked back in a whisper_

"_No it doesn't they had been having issues for a while" AJ reminded her "And besides he made it clear he wants to be my friend not my boyfriend and I'm ok with that"_

"_You don't kiss your friends like that as a matter of fact you don't have sex with your friends either" Celeste said seriously _

"_It was one time" AJ said holding up one finger "And it was months ago"_

"_Just ask him for a ride or ask how he's getting to the next show" Celeste suggested "You two are still close friends right?"_

"_Of course" AJ said to her _

"_So it wouldn't seem weird for you to ask" Celeste pointed out. "Look here's your opportunity" Punk had just entered the catering area with Paul Heyman and both men took the free seats at the end of AJ's table _

"_Hey shorty" Punk said giving her a wink before taking a seat _

"_Hey" she smiled shyly, almost feeling like a lovesick teenager _

"_This is your opportunity" Celeste whispered so Punk or Paul couldn't hear it. _

"_Hello ladies" Wade Barrett smiled making his way over to the two that's when Celeste smiled wide. _

"_Hey Wade quick question how are you getting to the next show?" Celeste questioned loud enough so Punk would be able to hear_

"_I'm driving, not big on planes." Wade shrugged "Why you need a lift Celeste?" he always flirty man questioned wiggling his eyebrows _

"_Ugh ew no" Celeste said with almost disgust "But I'm actually leaving tonight to go home but AJ was riding with me-"_

"_Say no more" Wade said cutting her off as AJ shot Celeste a death glare "I'd be more than happy to escort you to the next show" _

"_Um I was-" AJ started looking around for an excuse and she only briefly caught Punk's eyes_

"_It'll be great" Wade said cutting her off with a smile "It is a long drive so we might have to stop at a hotel first before finishing the trip, is that ok with you?"_

"_Oh god" AJ muttered rubbing her temple as Celeste smiled towards her friend._

"_That's ok" the unmistakable voice of Punk caught the trio's attention who was sitting at the end of the table "AJ's going to ride with me to the next show" _

"_If she was going to ride with you why did Celeste ask me to take her?" Wade questioned almost challenging Punk. Punk and the younger superstar had butted heads a lot backstage during their nexus story and it was no secret to anyone especially Celeste who seemingly knew what she was doing. _

"_Obviously AJ didn't tell Celeste of her plans but now everyone is aware so you can spend the night with yourself in the hotel room" Punk shot at him shooting him a glare that made Celeste see that Punk was as serious about AJ as she was about him. The hotel remark wasn't lost on either AJ or Celeste either. _

"_AJ" Wade said ignoring Punk's comments "Would you like to ride with me? I have the car to myself you don't want to cramp in with other people, do you?" _

"_What did I just say?" Punk asked shooting up out of his seat causing Paul to eye the former champion oddly _

"_Punk" Paul whispered not wanting to Punk to cause an unnecessary scene _

"_It's fine Wade thank you but I already promised Punk I'd ride with him" AJ said to Wade forcing a smile "Really I do appreciate the offer but no thank you"_

"_If you change your mind my offer always stands" Wade said giving her a smile "Celeste, Punk always a pleasure" he said before turning and heading over to the buffet that was out for the superstars _

"_Thanks for that" AJ said knowing Punk picked up on her not wanting to ride with Wade to the next City. _

"_Anytime" Punk said cooling down and looking down to her "If you needed a ride why didn't you just ask me?"_

"_It was my fault I thought you were flying out" Celeste said with a nervous smile _

"_Nope" Punk said to her simply "I hate flying. Kofi will be riding with us too so you two can bicker over whose better in 2k13" _

"_It's me so there's no point in discussing it anymore" AJ said seriously causing him to crack a smile _

"_I'll see you after the show" Punk smirked then headed back over to Paul _

"_I told you" Celeste mouthed to AJ and gave her a proud smile _

That night Celeste steered Punk right into AJ's direction and forced them even closer together. Of course long after Punk and AJ were together Celeste bragged to both of them on how she was the reason they were together. His response was usually _'next time you want me to pay attention to AJ try not whore her out to the likes of Wade Barrett_'. The car ride was seemingly innocent but that's when things truly kicked into high gear for the two.

_"He's passed out" AJ smirked turning her head from the passenger to see Kofi layed out across the backseat snoring_

"_Yea he's a great riding partner" Punk scoffed "I'm glad you're here to keep me company"_

"_I'm glad I'm here in the car with you and not a seedy motel with Wade" AJ said with a laugh but Punk didn't seem the humor in the comment "Are you alright?"_

"_Yea I just don't like him" Punk said to her _

"_What happened with the two of you?" AJ questioned "I feel like you've always hated each other"_

"_It was bitter feelings over Nexus being handed over to me" Punk shrugged "Not much of a story"_

"_Oh" AJ said getting the feeling he didn't want to discuss it any further "I know we haven't been talking as much the last few weeks but I didn't want to smother you or force you to talk about Amy"_

"_I know" Punk said glancing over and giving her a quick grin "There's not much to say we just decided we couldn't make it work anymore and that was it"_

"_I'm sorry" AJ said to him looking at him closely as he kept his eyes ahead on the empty road _

"_Don't be I'm not" Punk told her honestly "We had some great times but we probably should have realized when it didn't work out the first time it wouldn't have worked out the second either" _

"_I suppose" AJ said looking towards the road herself _

"_I've missed you" Punk admitted casually "I've missed hanging out with you"_

"_You could have always called" AJ smirked _

"_I uh- I didn't really trust myself honestly" Punk said to her _

"_I get it" AJ said quickly "You don't have to explain"_

"_I want us to always be friends and pushing you away the last two weeks wasn't the way to do that" Punk said to her "I'm sorry shorty"_

"_It's fine" AJ promised _

"_I want to make it up to you" Punk said to her _

"_I think this free ride I'm getting is enough" AJ smirked "Or maybe you can let me beat you in Call of Duty?"_

"_I was thinking something a little grander" Punk smirked "On Wednesday I have two tickets to the Cubs game want to join me so I don't have sit by myself?" _

"_I wouldn't want you to sit by yourself" AJ said as if she would be doing him a favor "I'll go" she said happily "But just so you know I don't know anything about baseball"_

"_I'll teach you" Punk said to her "And depending on how fast of a learner you are maybe I'll take you a hockey game later in the season"_

"_You would take me to one of your Blackhawks games?" AJ asked in a mocking tone "That's pretty special to you"_

"_You're special to me" Punk replied smoothly_

* * *

_After the game AJ had a great time. Her and Punk laughed and joked around the entire game and he even caught a ball for her but she insisted he give it to a little kid who would appreciate it more. To top of the night he took her out to one of his favorite spots to eat. Over dinner Punk offered for AJ to stay in his guest room since she had booked hotel so she could catch a flight to Tampa the next morning. He thought it was ridiculous for her to waste the money and pushed her to stay with him which she was extremely nervous about but agreed because two people who were just friends wouldn't have had a problem staying under the same roof. _

"_Wow" AJ said looking around Punk's huge townhouse in awe "This place is huge!" she said removing her jacket _

"_It's alright" Punk smirked "It's actually smaller than most places"_

"_I could fit my apartment three times into your living room alone" AJ said seriously _

"_I'd hate to see your apartment" Punk teased _

"_It's small but it's home" AJ said with a smile "Thanks for letting me crash here you didn't have to"_

"_I'm not going to let you sleep in a hotel room by yourself in a strange city when I have a perfectly large home for you to stay in" Punk said removing his sweatshirt "So do you want the grand tour?"_

"_Sure" she smiled following Punk as he showed her around the townhouse. _

_A few hours later after watching all three Ghostbusters they both decided to go to bed. _

"_Remember I'm right across the hall if you need anything" Punk said pointing to his door _

"_I think I'll manage" AJ laughed "Thanks for today" she said reaching up and kissing his cheek "I had a great time" _

"_Yea me too" Punk said offering her faint smile as she turned and headed into the guest room. He lightly touched his cheek before heading into his bedroom across the hall. _

_AJ lied in bed and just stared at the ceiling. She looked over to the clock and saw it was already almost 3 and she had a flight 10 which meant she'd have to get up soon. She had only departed with Punk a half an hour ago but she wondered if he was still up. Even though they had this great day together they were still just friends who apparently just acted like a couple. She tossed and turned for a few more minutes before deciding to be bold for once in her life and headed out of the room and across the hall. She hesitated before opening the door slightly and knocking after. _

"_AJ?" he asked confused. He wasn't even trying to sleep he was sitting up in bed watching TV above the covers "What's wrong?"_

"_I just-" AJ started then bit on her lower lip "Never mind" she said smiling _

"_AJ wait" Punk said turning the TV off and waving her over to him "Come here" _

"_Hi" AJ said shyly taking a seat on the edge of the bed directly next to him _

"_AJ" he sighed, he knew what she was doing in here and truthfully he wanted to do the same. "I think we need to talk about everything" _

"_Yea" AJ nodded slightly "I like you" _

"_I know" Punk said causing AJ to glare at him causing him to smile "I like you too" he said which softened her features "I like you so much that I feel if this went any further I'd blow it. As much as I want to be with you, I don't want to ever be without you more" _

"_I get it" AJ agreed nodding slightly "But you don't think I'm worth the risk?" _

"_I want to do it believe me" Punk said in an almost pleading tone "I just can't risk losing you forever so I can sleep with you"_

"_There's more to relationships than that" AJ pointed out "It's not just physical I mean you and I click don't you think? If you want me to shut up I will-"_

"_We do click" Punk agreed seriously "But-"_

"_It's fine" AJ said standing up "I get it. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable I honestly don't even know what I was thinking coming at you like this you must think I'm crazy-"_

"_I don't think that" Punk said standing up immediately to follow her _

"_Please I think I made enough of a fool of myself for one night I don't think I could stand having to stand here while you pacify me" AJ said seriously but letting out a nervous laugh "Good night" she said quickly before turning and heading across the hall. Punk followed but she closed the door on his face and when he went to open the door she had already locked it_

"_AJ open the door" Punk said knocking lightly but he didn't hear her stir a movement "AJ please I want to talk to you about this" but she never opened the door and left Punk to sit outside before eventually caving and heading back into his own room._

* * *

Thinking back to that night caused AJ's stomach turn slightly. The feeling of rejection from Punk was worse than when Trent broke up with her and while she hid in her room that entire time she tried to figure out why and at around 7am that next morning she realized it was because she was in love with Punk. Though his reasons weren't wrong she took it as he just didn't want to be with her and that was that. She never really bought the reason it was that he cared her about her so much that he couldn't be with her.

_AJ had never fallen asleep that night so at around 7:30 she called a cab and quietly grabbed her luggage and left Punk's house before he had the chance to wake up. She didn't leave before leaving him a note._

_Punk, _

_I'm sorry about last night I don't know what came over me and please I'd appreciate it if we could pretend it never happened. Thanks for the game and the shelter I had fun. See you on Monday. _

_-Shorty _

_Punk had tried to call AJ once during that time but she had decided to ignore the call and would much rather have to just deal with him on Monday and was hoping that would be less awkward. She wasn't sure why she thought that because she spent the better part of Monday avoiding him at every cost. But she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid him for long of course today was the day they were filming the Breast Cancer Awareness commercial and every superstar was set to be on stage and Punk was going to be the superstar in the middle speaking. It didn't help that cameras caught Punk catching the ball with AJ sitting right next to him. So not only did she have to deal with avoiding Punk but she'd be dealing with all the whispers as well. _

_When she came out to film the commercial she took her spot in the front next to Celeste but made sure she was far enough from Punk where he wouldn't be able to talk to her directly. She was also avoiding even looking at him, even though she wanted to. _

"_You two must have made it official over the weekend huh?" Celeste whispered to AJ. She didn't get the chance to explain to Celeste how she embarrassed herself and not only ruined any chance of a relationship with him but also their friendship. _

"_What are you talking about?" AJ whispered back but Celeste just nodded towards Punk and AJ looked over she met his eyes briefly before noticing his choice of attire for the evening. It was her breast cancer shirt he was sporting and he was doing so proudly. He gave he a quick smirk before turning his attention back to the producer. _

"_I want details after the show" Celeste said to her seriously_

_After the commercial AJ was headed towards her locker room when she felt someone lightly grab her arm. She froze realizing it was probably Punk so she forced a smile and turned around but was disappointed upon seeing Wade Barrett. _

"_AJ" Wade said coolly_

"_Wade" AJ replied in the same tone _

"_Do me a favor next time you want you want to get a rise out of your boyfriend don't use me to do so" Wade said to her seriously _

"_Wade I-" AJ couldn't even finish her sentence _

"_I'm not finished talking yet" Wade said cutting her off abruptly "You asked me for a ride to make Punk jealous and I want you to know I don't appreciate those sort of games and I also want you to know that I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pool" he was speaking loudly and for the second time in less than seven days AJ was humiliated "You want to hang around baseball games with Punk? Feel free but don't think that I'm ok with you-" _

"_That's enough" Punk said walking over to the two then saw the small crowd forming and watching "Show's over" he shouted towards the people then turned his attention back to Wade "Back off Wade" Punk warned_

"_Oh jeez" Wade laughed "As I was just explaining to AJ-"_

"_I heard what you were saying to her as a matter of fact everyone has and you've made your point so walk away" Punk said in a cold tone "You embarrassed her and now you've gotten it out of your system so leave"_

"_Relax Punk" Wade said simply "I have no interest in your little lady as I was just explaining to her. I wouldn't settle for a dirty ring rat even if she could give me one hell of a night" once he finished his sentence AJ was surprised by how affected she was by the comment and tried to hide her hurt face but when Punk looked over to see if she was going to respond he saw she was actually holding back tears._

_Normally AJ wasn't the type to take being spoken to that way but she was truly exhausted from the week she had as it was. It nearly broke his heart to see her pained face as she immediately diverted her eyes to floor as she simply accepted the crude comment. When Punk turned his attention back to Wade he frowned seeing the man's back as he headed down the hall whistling. _

"_Don't" AJ said grabbing onto his arm knowing the thoughts running through his head but he jerked his arm away and didn't even glance back in her direction before he stormed off after Wade. _

"_Barrett!" Punk shouted causing Wade to turn around slowly and when he did. Punk shoved Wade against the nearest wall clutching onto the collar of his shirt. _

"_Don't you ever disrespect AJ like that again" Punk seethed. As AJ headed towards them to try to stop it she could see how enraged Punk actually was, his face was as red as tomato. "She's a Diva back here and one who brings a hell of a lot more money into this company than you do, she is above you" the last four words Punk made sure to say slowly so Wade would realize that AJ's stock was much higher than Wade's could ever dream to be "And most importantly she's with me and don't ever forget that" Punk said keeping his grip on Wade. His comments caused AJ's eye to widen "Don't talk to her, don't look at her and remember if you even consider spewing crap like that again it's going to be me you're going to have to answer to. I won't let anyone disrespect her back here and believe me I have not only the clout to ensure that but I also have the temper" threatening both his job and bodily harm at the same time actually shook Wade slightly _

"_Alright" Wade muttered out and that's when Punk let go but didn't move out of Wade's personal space _

"_Apologize to her" Punk said pointing to AJ. Wade eyed Punk and saw he wasn't going to take 'no' as answer. _

"_AJ I apologize I was out of line" Wade bit out looking at her then looked back towards Punk "Ok?" _

"_Get lost" Punk warned and that's when Wade rushed off not wanting to be in the middle of this anymore_

"_You shouldn't have done that" AJ said to him as she saw people still watching the scene unfold _

"_I meant what I said no one disrespects you while I'm here" Punk said firmly. Clearly he was still angry "Is that clear to all of you?!" Punk shouted eyeing the wandering eyes that turned away quickly _

"_Come on" AJ said grabbing him by the arm and leading him out the backdoor "People are going to be talking- they already are"_

"_So?" Punk asked_

"_We're not together Punk" AJ reminded him _

"_Why did you leave?" Punk asked ignoring her statement _

"_I was embarrassed" AJ admitted _

"_You have no reason to feel embarrassed I'm the one who's embarrassed" Punk said to her "You have been a constant in my life for a while now and I want you to stay as one. But I don't want you to be my friend I want you to be mine" _

"_Punk" AJ sighed _

"_You scare the crap out of me" Punk said with a laugh "You're so small but so deadly and you don't even see what you're doing to me"_

"_I'm sorry?" she questioned not sure how to answer _

"_No I'm sorry" Punk said seriously "I want you as a friend because I'm afraid I'll chase you off like I've done to all my other girlfriends and I have plenty of girls who are just friends and I thought it would be easy but you're not like any other girl. All I could think about is you. All I could think about was our night together before Wrestlemania and that kiss at the beach and the other night I wanted to run into your room and show you how much you mean to me"_

"_So why didn't you?" AJ asked in an almost innocent tone_

"_Because you locked your door" Punk smirked. AJ mentally kicked herself but before she could dwell on it he spoke again "You asked me if you were worth the risk and believe me you are and I want to take it" _

"_You don't have to-" AJ started afraid that maybe he was just giving into her out of sympathy _

"_I want to" he said cutting her off "God I want to so bad" he said cupping her face before slowly lowering his lips to hers._

* * *

She could have lived without Wade embarrassing her that night but he was just another unknowing person who only pushed her and Punk closer together. And man did he ever keep his word. He had always been protective of her but he wouldn't let anyone talk down to her and try to manipulate her. He had been around the company a lot longer than she had been and he had advised her on all offers and propositions when she was asked. The best part about it all? Punk never cared what people thought of it. He made her feel more important than not only everyone in the company but he made her feel more important than Wrestling itself. Her last two exes were wrestlers and they had never put her above a show or a match but Punk always did. But they wouldn't have an easy time backstage once they officially went public and it wasn't just the viewers who had their share of comments but even other people within the company had there share of opinions and boy did they go to battle more than once…


	4. Birthday Surprises

**Part IV: Birthday Surprises**

* * *

AJ looked over to the clock and in forty-five minutes she would officially be April Jeanette Brooks. She smiled just imagining signing papers with her new last name. She wasn't the type to doodle down her name next to his last name but it did have a nice ring to it. If you would have told her a year ago she'd be living in Chicago and preparing to walk down the aisle with Punk waiting for her at the other end she'd call you crazy. When AJ thought of Chicago one memory stuck out the most to her and it wasn't the baseball game or the fact that she had called the second city her home now, it was Punk's birthday last year. She had taken a huge risk and finally broke out of her shell and it paid off for her.

_Ever since that Monday night where her and Punk had their discussion and he kissed her things have gone smooth. They had gone out a few times and shared some amazing kisses and mild PDA but they hadn't gone past that. AJ wasn't sure if it was because Punk was regretting his choice and speaking of his choice he hadn't officially asked her to make things 'official' so she wasn't sure really where they stood. It had been three weeks now and she was in New York at Ringside fest and she knew Punk was back in Chicago for his birthday. He hadn't asked her to fly down and every time she asked what he was doing or what he wanted he brushed it off saying he wasn't planning on doing anything and didn't want anything. She did call him at midnight to wish him a Happy Birthday anyway and he informed her that he'd be going out with a small group of friends then calling it a night so he could fly out to Miami for Battleground. He promised to call her later that night so they could make plans to meet up early the next day before they would head to the arena for the big show._

_AJ didn't let it bother her that Punk seemingly didn't want her around on his birthday but she was surprised when her phone rang and an unfamiliar number appeared on her screen. Usually she wouldn't have answered but with work it could have been anyone. _

"_Hello?" AJ asked almost skeptically _

"_AJ?" a male voice questioned _

"_Um-" AJ started _

"_This is Colt" said the man "I'm a friend of Punk's"_

"_Of course" AJ said in an easy tone "Is everything ok?"_

"_Yea, yea sorry to call you out of the blue like this. I had to sneak your number out of Punk's phone" he said with a laugh "Look I know you're in New York for a signing right now but you'll be done at around 5, right?"_

"_Yea" AJ said unsurely _

"_I just happen to be looking for flights and you can catch a redeye flight at about 6 and make it to Chicago for 8 if you're interested" Colt offered _

"_You want me to fly down to Chicago?" AJ questioned _

"_Yea I thought you could be my gift to him" Colt laughed "He's not the easiest man to shop for and I know if I give him you that he'd love it" _

"_He didn't invite me I'd feel funny just showing up" AJ admitted _

"_Believe me he wants you here" Colt said in a serious voice "He's been talking about you none-stop and it's honestly driving me crazy"_

"_Really?" she asked feeling a smile creep upon her face _

"_Really" he confirmed "I'll pick you from the airport and we can head straight to the restaurant- I mean if you want-"_

"_Yea that sounds fine" AJ said quickly _

"_Great I'll have your ticket ready and paid for just show up at JFK and make that flight" Colt said happily "And please don't mention this to him I really want to his face when you show up"_

"_And you're sure he won't mind?" AJ asked again_

"_Believe me he'll be thrilled" Colt said with a chuckle _

_True to his word the ticket was ready and paid for by Colt by the time AJ reached the airport and when she landed he was waiting for her at the gate. They engaged in small talk on the drive over to the restaurant where Colt continued to embarrass Punk by telling AJ how into the young diva he truly was. Once they arrived to the small restaurant Colt stepped in first and headed to the backroom where there was a huge table and sitting around were all of Punk's closest friends and family._

"_Great now we can finally eat" Punk muttered upon seeing Colt "You live ten minutes from here what took you so long?" clearly Punk was unhappy about waiting to order._

"_I had to pick up your gift" Colt beamed happily _

"_I told you I didn't want-" Punk stopped when AJ stepped in behind him and she looked completely nervous as all eyes fell upon the small Diva's champion. "AJ?" he asked stunned and Colt couldn't help but chuckle at Punk's stunned reaction _

"_Hi" She said with a nervous wave to the large group. _

"_Surprise!" Colt shouted happily and taking a seat at the end of the table _

"_I hope you have room for one more" AJ teased lightly _

"_Of course!" Punk's close friend Natalie smiled "Move down" she said to the person next to her so she could move her seat that was next to Punk to make room for AJ _

"_Hi" AJ said to Punk as she took her seat next to his "Colt wouldn't take no for an answer" she whispered to him_

"_I'm glad he didn't" Punk said with a smirk and kissed her cheek quickly "Thank you for coming" _

"_Happy Birthday" she said blushing slightly _

"_It is now" Punk whispered back into her ear_

* * *

_AJ was surprised by how it ease she was with most of his friends. She found it easy to talk to them since they were all so similar to Punk himself. His family wasn't an issue since she had met them many times at WWE events over the years. When the cake came out and the bill was paid AJ realized she hadn't considered where she'd be staying the night. Did Punk want her back at his house? Did he have other plans? Almost as if he was reading her mind he leaned over to her 'You're staying with me tonight'. She instantly felt nervous realizing that could have meant a number of things. They hadn't been intimate since the first time almost a year ago and everything happened so fast that night she didn't have time to think about it or dwell on it. _

_Once they arrived back at his place at around midnight she should have felt tired since she had flown three times in the last day alone but strangely she was anxious and awake. _

"_Thank you for flying down" Punk said as he tossed his keys on the table by his door _

"_I wasn't sure you wanted me here" AJ admitted "But I decided to break out of that shell you love to talk about and take a chance"_

"_I'm glad you did and believe me I wanted you here but I knew you had a lot of flying to do and didn't want to pressure you into coming" Punk admitted "You made this a great day for me"_

"_Oh! Speaking of I got you something!" she said anxiously "But my luggage is in the car" she frowned quickly realizing this _

"_Don't worry about it" Punk said to her "Besides I don't think you could top Colt's gift" _

"_Since I am Colt's gift do I get a little credit?" AJ teased walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist _

"_Some" Punk smirked as she looked up at him before capturing his lips with her own "You taste like cake" he teased with a grin against her lips _

"_That's not exactly what I was going for but ok" AJ smirked before placing her hand against the back of his head and forcing his lips back down to hers. It didn't take a long for AJ to feel Punk's hand wander down to her butt and used that to push her further against his body and in an instant without breaking contacting she used his hands to help her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. _

"_AJ" Punk muttered pulling away as he moved them against the wall so her back was towards it helping them both keep balance "Are you sure?"_

"_Yes" she said looking him in the eyes "I have never been more sure of anything in my life" he didn't smile, he instead used his hands to remover her blank tank-top and toss it to the floor. _

"_You're mine now" he whispered into her ear before he began to kiss on her pulse point and that was the confirmation she needed. They were official and tonight they were going to consummate that. _

"_I always have been" she replied back closing her eyes that's when she reached her hands down and pulled off his shirt while they stayed perched up by the wall. After a few moments he pushed them off the wall and carried her up the stairs._

* * *

It was safe to say that AJ enjoyed Punk's Birthday probably just as much if not more than Punk himself did. They didn't get much sleep that night even though they had a big show the next day but neither seemed to really care. Speaking of caring what happened the next night truly proved to AJ that Punk felt just as strongly about her as she did him.

_During her match with Brie for the Diva's title AJ had hit her head on the turnbuckle not once but twice. The first time was Brie lifting her a tad too high into the corner and the second was AJ running into the turnbuckle herself and not pacing herself properly. The rest of the match after the second hit AJ could barely stand, using the ropes to help her up and constantly losing balance. Even Brie had picked up on it and she would hear an occasional 'are you ok?' from her opponent. But AJ finished out the match with a quick roll-up opting not to end it the way she was supposed to with the Black Widow because there would be no way she'd pull it off._

_When she rolled out of the ring she wouldn't even let the ref hold her arm up in victory because she knew she wouldn't be able to stand. Tamina helped AJ to the back and once they made it to the back a trainer was back by the curtain._

_"AJ are you alright?" the trainer asked_

_"Yea, yea I just have a headache" She said quickly placing her hand on her hand and kneeling over slightly_

_"AJ we have to get you checked out" the trainer insisted_

_"I'm fine I just-" AJ stopped when she heard the voice of Punk, her boyfriend_

_"Shorty" Punk said placing his hand on her shoulder and tried to make eye-contact with her "You ok?"_

_"I hit my head" AJ said sadly as Punk lifted her chin so she would be looking at him. Her eyes didn't seem right to him and he frowned_

_"Yea you took a few hard bumps" Punk said simply "Let me help you to the trainers office before my match"_

_"I'm good" AJ insisted. She didn't like a fuss being made over her_

_"I know you are" Punk replied coolly "But we wouldn't want the trainers to be out of a job, let them check your head out ok?"_

_"Ok" she said nodding slowly as Punk helped her to the office with the trainer following behind_

_"Can you make sure she doesn't sneak out?" Punk asked the trainer as he helped AJ onto the table_

_"She can barely walk, she's not sneaking out anywhere" The trainer informed him_

_"I'm right here" AJ remarked annoyed_

_"Sorry" Punk frowned walking over to her "Do whatever the trainer says ok?"_

_"Ok" AJ said looking at him as he kneeled to be eyelevel with his girlfriend_

_"I'll come check on you right after my match is over" Punk assured her_

_"Ok be careful" AJ said with a frown but that slowly disappeared once he gave her a sweet kiss_

_The trainer was sure she had a concussion but wanted to wait the night before officially diagnosing her. She left with Punk that night on his bus and he helped her onto the bus and led her right into the bedroom. Normally on his bus Punk would be blasting music to stay hyped but tonight. He was going to make sure she was a hundred percent comfortable._

"_How are you feeling?" he asked her _

"_It doesn't hurt as bad" AJ said to him but he just frowned he could see the pain written all over face "Ok it hurts. Are they going to take the title from me?" she asked him _

"_What?" Punk asked surprised "Don't worry about that"_

"_I am worried about that" AJ insisted "You're a guy it's easy for you to get TV time and work without the title but not for the women and not for a woman who refused to do their stupid reality show. They're going to take the title from me and hand it over to a Total Diva"_

"_If they were smart they wouldn't" Punk said seriously _

"_I don't want to fade into the background" AJ said to him "If the title is gone I'm going back to either no TV time or being put into a love story with another new up and comer. It will be like ten steps back for me" _

"_Anything you do in the company is going to be gold" Punk promised "And believe me they know how good you are, they won't do anything rash" _

"_Look at Dolph" AJ frowned _

"_Dolph ran his mouth his off" Punk reminded her "I'm not going to let you fade into the background I promise"_

"_Pinky promise?" she asked extending her pink weakly and he smirked, clearly this would become their thing _

"_Pinkly promise" he said wrapping his pinky around her then like the last time placed his lips over them _

"_And a kiss to seal the deal?" AJ smirked_

"_Of course" Punk said giving her a grin._

* * *

_AJ was officially diagnosed with a concussion at Raw and was sent home. Punk had driven her to the hotel where she could rest and promised to get her home the next day, he didn't want her traveling by herself in her condition. He rented a smaller car and drove them to Tampa while sending his bus back home to Chicago they weren't that far from Tampa. Once they arrived at her apartment AJ was nervous for Punk to where she lived especially since he insisted on staying the week with him and blowing off not only SmackDown but also other appearances he had scheduled. Her place in no way compared to Punk and she wasn't sure what he'd think about it. _

"_I wasn't really expecting company" AJ reminded them as they walked off the elevator together and approached her front door. _

"_AJ I don't care" Punk said to her "Just open the door so you can get off your feet" _

"_Ok" she sighed putting her key in the door and turning the knob. _

_AJ's place was small, very small Punk thought but it was all her. She had comics lying around, a huge TV seemed to be the only thing of much value which he assumed was to play videogames. She also had a couple of shelves filled with Wrestling and gaming action figures and he instantly smiled when he walked over to it. _

"_You have almost all of my action figures" He noted _

"_You're my favorite wrestler" AJ shrugged "I also have other action figures" _

"_Right" Punk smirked "I like your place" he said looking around "You do have a bathroom in this place right?" he asked almost seriously but she didn't find it funny_

"_Ha-ha" she remarked "Yes I have a bathroom but it's about the size of your shower" _

"_Ah my shower" Punk smiled fondly "We had a good morning in that shower the other day" _

"_Well don't get any idea because we're both not going to fit into my shower" AJ warned with a smirk _

"_I have no ideas because you are going to be resting and I am going to be waiting on you hand and foot" Punk said to her _

"_I'm fine the pain is already gone-" AJ started_

"_I've had concussions shorty I know how they work" he said cutting her off "There's no such thing as 'resting' too much" _

"_You'll rest with me right?" AJ asked in an innocent voice _

"_Sure we can rest together but no funny business" Punk warned "I know all of your sneaky moves shorty and I won't fall for them"_

"_I promise to be a proper lady" AJ said seriously then smirked_

* * *

Punk and AJ were so wrapped up in the weeks events they weren't even aware at the time that their photo from the airport surfaced online or the fact that AJ was scene getting onto Punk's bus. Again they didn't care much about what people thought because they were already talking about them since Punk's run in with Barrett but this was about to blow up even more.


	5. Small Hiccup

**Part V: Small Hiccup**

* * *

AJ couldn't stop the memories from flooding back to her on this important day. There was a bad feeling buried deep down inside realizing once the wedding and honeymoon was over she'd have to head back to work- without her new husband. She wasn't worried about being away from him she trusted him and he trusted her and they had been apart for four months since he first walked out of the company but she just missed having him around her. She didn't have many friends to begin with but when Punk left that list got even shorter but she didn't traveling by herself it was some of the more obnoxious fans that would approach her that would bother her. She was like magnet to them and to strange people in general. Once her and Punk were officially together his protective side, which was always there came out in full force especially around the fans. The European tour was a prime example of that.

_"Do you want something eat too?" Punk asked as the two were on a long line in a local coffee shop "Nah" AJ shrugged "Just the coffee"_

"_Do you plan on eating at all today?" Punk questioned keeping his eyes on the menu hanging about the counter _

"_I ate today" AJ shot back at him defensively _

"_You're going to get sick" Punk warned "You have to work tonight" _

"_I know and I'll be fine I know my body" AJ said to him seriously then he looked over to her briefly _

"_I know your body pretty well too" He smirked eyeing her up causing her to blush "You sure? Not even a banana or apple?"_

"_I'm not hungry" She huffed_

"_Alright, alright" Punk said giving in as they were called to place their order. _

_AJ stood by his side while he gave their orders and smiled a bit at the fact that he knew exactly how she liked her coffee. After paying (which he always did, he was a true gentleman) he led her out of the coffee shop. _

"_Crap" AJ muttered looking down at her feet, which made Punk laugh _

"_You're so cute when you curse" Punk noted looking down at her feet as well. Her hot coffee had spilled slightly out of the cup and landed on the toes of her shoes _

"_I'm always cute" AJ smirked and that's when Punk grabbed a hold of her hand. Of course there were tons of fans taking pictures of them as they walked _

"_This is worse than being back home" AJ noted to him _

"_Does it bother you?" Punk asked keeping his tight grip on her hand _

"_Not really" AJ said looking up to him "I know it bothers you"_

"_Everything bothers me" Punk smirked proudly _

"_Can I get a picture?" A fan asked approaching the two_

"_No" Punk said coldly leading AJ away _

"_You're so mean" AJ smirked_

"_It's mean to approach me when I'm out with my girlfriend. I'm entitled to spend time with you without having people approach me" Punk remarked _

"_AJ!" an older man fan shouted "AJ!"_

"_Just ignore it" Punk said to her _

"_It's easier for you to do" AJ said to him _

"_AJ can I get a picture!" The man shouted approaching the two. When it came to AJ's fans Punk tried his best not answer for her but she always had a hard time saying no._

"_Not today" AJ replied politely as she and Punk continued down the street _

"_What about a kiss?" the man laughed that caused Punk to stop in his tracks _

"_It's fine" AJ said to her boyfriend _

"_A kiss or a picture your choice" The man laughed holding up his phone _

"_Did you hear her?" Punk demanded turning around "She said no get lost!" he shouted before turning back around yet again _

"_Do you just want to head back to the hotel?" AJ asked with a frown. They had made plans to stroll around and head to a local park for the day but clearly they wouldn't be able to do that in peace. _

"_Yea ok" Punk said to her "Sorry shorty"_

"_It's not your fault" AJ insisted "Besides it doesn't matter if we're in a park or the hotel- as long as I'm with you I'm good"_

* * *

_Later that night they headed into a house show. AJ was teaming with Tamina to take on the Bella's. As soon as they stepped into the arena Punk headed to the men's locker room and she headed to the Diva's where she started to sweat immediately. _

"_You ok AJ?" Tamina questioned as she laced up her boots "You're looking a little pale"_

"_It's really hot in here" AJ said waving her hand in front of her own face to cool herself down _

"_It really is" Tamina agreed "You ok to work?"_

"_Yea I'm good" AJ assured her partner _

"_So are you and Punk enjoying the sights?" Tamina asked with a smirk _

"_We haven't had much of chance to enjoy sights, every time we step out of the hotel we're swarmed by fans" AJ told her _

"_That sucks" Tamina frowned "I know you were looking forward to doing some sight seeing"_

"_I don't mind" AJ shrugged "We've had a lot of free time to catch up on some movies"_

"_Yea I'm sure that's what the two of you are doing all night in the hotel room" Tamina snickered AJ immediately blushed._

"_Look at you" Tamina laughed "You seem really happy"_

"_I am" AJ said proudly "He's been so great" that when a wave of nausea hit AJ and Tamina picked up on it _

"_Are you sure you're ok?" she asked more sternly "Maybe you should get checked out" her friend suggested_

"_I skipped lunch" AJ shrugged "That's all"_

"_Seriously AJ?" Tamina sighed "We have a match"_

"_I'll be fine" AJ promised "I'll make it for the match"_

"_I'm not worried about the match I'm worried about you. I'd say to grab something now but we're up in five minutes" Tamina said to her "Maybe you should talk to Dave and they can make it a handicap match or something"_

"_I'll be fine" AJ repeated "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Punk earlier today- I know my body and I'll be fine"_

"_I'm sure by now he knows your body just as well" Tamina teased_

"_That's actually exactly what he said" AJ told her with a grin "Come on let's go" _

"_If you start to feel winded just tag me in" Tamina instructed following her out the door "I'll figure something out"_

"_Ok" AJ nodded _

_As soon as AJ stepped into the ring the heat felt stronger than before. She managed to take on one of the Bella's (she couldn't tell you which one because she was so out of it). As soon as she had the opportunity she tagged Tamina in quickly and took Tamina's spot in the corner but that's when the entire arena went almost silent to her and was spinning around. She placed her head in her hand in hopes of getting it to stop, before she knew it she fell off the apron. The next thing AJ realized was a flashlight in her eyes. _

"_Can you hear me AJ?" the doctor who sat at ringside asked _

"_Yea" AJ muttered starting to sit up _

"_Did you hit your head AJ?" the doctor asked while security stood over her as well_

"_No- I don't know-" AJ started but felt the dizziness hit her again. The arena was silent again as everyone watched AJ on the side of the ring_

"_She skipped lunch" she heard the voice of Tamina say "I didn't see her hit her head unless she did on the way down"_

"_I'm good" AJ said to them "Just help me up?" she asked extending her hand while one of the security guards helped her to her feet. _

"_I'm going to have to check you out backstage" The doctor told her seriously and AJ just nodded "You need help walking?"_

"_Yea" AJ admitted feeling embarrassed _

"_I've got her" Tamina said coming right to AJ's side and holding her up by her arm _

_Once they reached backstage a few producers and executives were already waiting along with the Bella's. _

"_Are you ok AJ?" Brie questioned with Nikki at her side also sporting a worried look. Neither girl was close to AJ but she was one of them at the end of the day regardless of personal feelings _

"_Yea sorry about the match" AJ managed to get out_

"_This way" the doctor said to Tamina as he waved her down into her room "Sit her down there" he said pointing to a chair "Are you going to throw up?" the doctor asked AJ_

"_No" AJ said shaking her head slightly_

"_How could she throw up when she didn't even eat?" Tamina mocked and that's when the door swung up again and AJ looked to see Punk enter and make his way right over to her _

"_You ok?" he asked squatting down to look her in the eyes _

"_Yea" AJ said nodding slightly_

"_Doc?" Punk asked looking over shoulder_

"_I think she's dehydrated" The doctor told him simply "No biggie"_

"_I said I was fine" AJ said to him _

"_You also told me you'd be fine for tonight" Punk shot back and for the first time since their relationship started he was actually mad at her. He didn't say another word before he stood up and walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him. _

"_You think he's mad?" AJ asked Tamina _

"_Yea" Tamina said with a light laugh "He'll get over it. He's just worried about you" _

"_He didn't even give me a kiss" AJ frowned _

"_He's mad" Tamina reminded her "And besides he's going out right now" she said to her and AJ just nodded "I'd be worried if he wasn't mad"_

"_Why's that?" AJ asked_

"_Because it would mean he didn't care" The doctor chimed in with a smirk._

* * *

_AJ was watching Punk and Daniel Bryan's match from the trainer's room where she was sipping on water with Tamina at her side. The door opened and in walked Wade Barrett. _

"_Hey Doc can you check out my arm? I think I tweaked it when I was training" Wade said then saw AJ and Tamina "Unless you're busy?"_

"_No come in and take a seat" the doctor said to him _

"_AJ saw you had a bit of an accident, hope all is well" Wade said politely _

"_Thanks" AJ muttered keeping her eyes on the TV _

"_Any serious damage done?" Wade probed _

"_She's dehydrated" Tamina said before AJ could respond "She's fine" _

"_Can't handle the busy schedule?" Wade smirked "Or is your boyfriend keeping you too busy to eat?" _

"_Ew" AJ responded in a low voice while she watched Punk and Daniel celebrate their win in the ring "I can handle the schedule"_

"_So it's the latter then huh?" Wade laughed "You have been looking a little pale as of late"_

"_Why are you still talking?" Tamina questioned the brit. _

"_I'm concerned for young AJ that's all" Wade said seriously "Clearly she can't not only handle a busy European tour like this one but she also can't handle her man" _

"_You are disgusting" AJ remarked annoyed _

"_Or maybe things have gone south?" Wade questioned "Usually he's attached to your hip and his match has been over for over for a total of three minutes and he hasn't come running back her to check on you yet" _

"_I'm a big girl I don't need someone to hold my hand" AJ shot at the man _

"_Right" Wade snorted _

"_That's enough let's take a look at that arm" the doctor said walking over to him. A few minutes later the door opened again and AJ would be lying if she wasn't expecting it to be Punk and sure enough it was him. _

"_Punk" Wade Barrett smirked "Great match"_

"_You ready to go?" Punk asked looking down at AJ and ignoring Wade completely _

"_Yea" AJ said standing up with her water in hand _

"_Doc, she good to go?" Punk asked looking over to the doctor causing AJ to roll her eyes. Clearly he was still upset with her and not taking her word for anything. _

"_Yea make sure eats a meal tonight though" The doctor told him as Wade just chuckled under his breath _

"_You have something you want to say to me?" Punk asked Wade who looked over to Punk_

"_Not at all" Wade said with a grin _

"_That's what I thought" Punk muttered "Come on AJ" he said nodding for her to follow him out of the room which she did. _

"_I have to get my stuff" AJ said to him and he just nodded _

"_I'll meet you back at the bus" Punk said as he walked her to the Diva's locker room then walked away. She frowned as he headed down the hall._

* * *

_Once AJ made it back to the bus she handed her bags off to the driver and then stepped on the small bus that was transporting all the superstars back to their hotel. She was surprised to see Punk was already on the bus with his headphones in. He was sitting on the outside leaving the window seat empty next to him. She stopped when she reached him at the back of the bus and simply tapped his shoulder. He looked up but didn't remove his headphones he just stood up and moved over to the window so AJ could sit with him. She looked over to him as the bus engine started up but he closed eyes and listened carefully to his music. _

_Once they arrived back to the hotel he grabbed his bag and hers in silence and they both headed back to the room. Once the door was closed AJ let out a sigh. _

"_You were right ok?" AJ said to him desperately "I can't stand the silent treatment" _

"_It's not about me being right" Punk said to her seriously, his hardened features not wavering "It's about you taking a huge risk out there"_

"_It was really hot in there" AJ argued back _

"_It was but no one else fainted during a match and want to know why? Because we all ate!" Punk shouted surprising her. He had never yelled at her and didn't understand why he was so upset over this; it wasn't a big deal to her so it shouldn't have been to him. _

"_Why are you yelling at me?" AJ questioned seriously "You're overreacting"_

"_I'm yelling so I can get my point across to you" Punk said keeping his tone loud but not quit yelling at the moment _

"_You've made it ok I get it" AJ said annoyed _

"_Do you have an eating disorder?" Punk asked her in a harsh tone_

"_What?" she questioned stunned "How could you even ask me that? I'm not unhealthy- small yes but not unhealthy" _

"_Then why did you refuse to eat all day?" Punk questioned _

"_I ate in the morning and I wasn't hungry the rest of the day" AJ said to him seriously "I told you that earlier. Why are you acting this way? You'd think I cheated on you or something"_

"_I'm acting this way because I had to sit backstage and watch while you collapsed and shook at ringside it scared the crap out of me!" he yelled "They wouldn't even let me go out there to check on you!" she didn't realize he had been watching the match _

"_I'm sorry" She said in a low voice _

"_Don't be sorry" Punk said harshly "Just promise me it won't happen again" _

"_I promise" she bit out walking over to him "I really am, I'll eat better"_

"_Just eat" Punk said with a sigh trying to let go of the anger _

"_I didn't mean to scare you" she said taking another unsure step closer to him but when he lightly tugged her arm so he could wrap his arms around her she felt relief _

"_I know shorty" Punk said "I'm sorry for snapping" _

"_I know it's late but maybe we can go grab a bite to eat?" AJ offered causing Punk to pull away he gave her an 'are you kidding me look?'_

"_I'll call room service" Punk said to her letting her go "What do you want?" he said grabbing the menu _

"_What kind of salads do they have?" AJ asked seriously causing him to glare at her, she was going to have a little more than that "Ok a burger and fries, you know how I like my burger right?"_

"_Yea" Punk said grabbing the hotel phone and dialing the kitchen_

* * *

Looking back at that moment the argument they had was so ridiculous but it just proved how much he loved her. Of course he had never said the words at that point in time yet but it was written all over his worried and angry face. And as time would go on she would be angry with him for the same reasons. Every time he insisted on going out to wrestle or to the gym when he was clearly in pain drove her nuts. But it just showed how passionate they were about each other. Of course that little hiccup was nothing compared to what was lurking around the corner for them…


	6. The 'Incident'

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I'm glad you all are enjoying the story as much as I enjoy writing it. Now obviously this story isn't going to be very long but I'll try to stretch it out as much as I can. Also bare with me on some of these chapters I've written so many one-shots about alot of these topics I'm trying not to sound redundent. Anyway enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Part VI: The 'Incident'**

* * *

Sitting in the hotel suit by herself was driving her crazy. She just wanted to marry Punk and be over it. She wasn't big on all eyes being on her as it was and sure enough on her wedding day everyone would be watching. She sucked in her stomach silently as she looked in the long mirror and sighed. Everything in their relationship had moved so fast but on this day it was moving at snail pace. After the European tour everything was seemingly going smooth. Punk loved his story with tagging with Daniel and she was still at the top of the entire Diva's division of course that left a bad taste in the mouths of not only the other girls but outsiders as well…

_Punk and AJ were hanging around the hotel room as they prepared for Tribute for the Troops. The yearly event was Vince McMahon's proudest moment and everyone was expected to attend and be on their best behavior. He even called in special guests and musical acts for the occasion._

"_So how many times?" AJ questioned her boyfriend who had just gotten out of the shower. He just laughed at AJ who was sitting cross-legged in the center of their bed. _

"_You're still on this?" Punk asked amused as he unwrapped his towel "Want to help dry me off?" he questioned standing completely nude in the room _

"_Once you answer my question" AJ said seriously as she watched him dry off and grab a pair of boxers and slipped them _

"_Twice AJ" Punk sighed "It was only twice" _

"_You slept with her twice?" she frowned _

"_She's a friend" Punk shrugged slightly "We went out to dinner a couple of times and twice it ended with us in bed it wasn't a big deal and it never progressed past that" _

"_What if she thinks she's going to sleep with you tonight?" AJ asked seriously causing him to grin while he slipped on a pair of jeans and buttoned them _

"_Then she's going to be in for a rude awakening because the only person I'm having sex with tonight is you" Punk said seriously causing AJ to crack a smile "You have nothing to worry about"_

"_But she's so successful and sophisticated" AJ noted_

"_Michelle Beadle is successful but I wouldn't use sophisticated as a way to describe to her" Punk snorted then walked over to the bed still shirtless "I won't even speak to her if that makes you feel better"_

"_I'm not some crazy jealous girlfriend" AJ shot at him then offered him a smile "But it would make me feel a bit better" _

"_Ok" he said leaning in and giving her a kiss _

"_Was she good?" AJ asked pulling away from the kiss _

"_What?" he asked laughing  
"Was she good?" AJ asked seriously and moving her head away from Punk who tried to hush her with a kiss_

"_I don't remember much of our indiscretions" Punk said to her "But from what I do remember she wasn't even close to being on your level" _

"_You're just saying that" AJ said shaking her head slightly _

"_I don't lie" Punk said seriously "You are by far the best I have ever had" then he kissed her again and pushed her back slightly so he was lying on top of her _

"_You're just trying to get lucky" AJ muttered as she felt him kissing her neck while his hands wandered under t-shirt _

"_Is it working?" Punk questioned between breaths _

"_Yes" She said _

_AJ wasn't expecting to even talk to Michelle Beadle that night and she certainly wasn't expecting to be in fear of losing her title or even worse her job. It all kind of happened so fast, Punk had confided in AJ about Michele had disrespected him in front of a small group of her friends and used that as an example as to why he wouldn't be speaking to her, AJ on the other hand was furious that Michelle thought her behavior was acceptable just because she was a second rate news reporter who enjoyed the drama. She brushed off her boyfriend who begged her not to say a thing but just as he would do for her, she defended him to the host. _

"_Hello" AJ said approaching Michelle _

"_Hi" Michelle said extending her hand to AJ but she didn't accept _

"_My name is AJ" she said with a forced smile to the group of three women _

"_I know who you are pookie" Michelle grinned _

"_So than you know who my boyfriend is" AJ shot back surprising the host _

"_Doesn't that change every week?" Michelle smirked causing the other women to laugh _

"_Don't be disrespectful to my boyfriend" AJ warned the blonde sportscaster _

"_I'm sorry?" Michelle asked surprised _

"_You heard what I said" AJ said simply _

"_AJ this is enough" Michael Hayes warned stepping over to the two women _

"_Look Punk is my friend and he has been for a long time I don't need a lecture from you on how to treat my friends" Michelle said to AJ _

"_That's how you treat your friends?" AJ mocked "This isn't a hangout this is a military event and just because you're some sort of C rated Celebrity doesn't mean you can walk in here and disrespect people!" _

"_I said it was enough!" Michael Hayes shouted to AJ then turned "I'm very sorry Ms. Beadle"_

"_It's ok clearly this is a personal issue" Michelle said simply _

"_AJ apologize" Michael Hayes instructed but AJ remained tightlipped "Did you hear me?"_

"_She heard you she's just ignoring you" Punk said walking over. He had caught the exchange but didn't want to embarrass AJ or worst of all let AJ think he was defending Michelle "She's not apologizing" _

"_She will if I tell her to" Hayes said locking eyes with Punk _

"_You don't tell her what to do" Punk reminded him _

"_It's fine" Michelle insisted "I'm used to being attacked by the occasional jealous girlfriend" _

"_Excuse me?" AJ asked taking a step forward but Punk stepped in front of her _

"_It's fine shorty" Punk assured her "You're just playing into her attention seeking hands now"_

"_What the hell is your problem?" Michelle demanded towards Punk "You get a girlfriend whose young enough to be your daughter and all of the sudden you're too good to be my friend? Or is your girlfriend so insecure that she told you not to talk to me?"_

"_I'm not even going to dignify that with a response" Punk said to her calmly _

"_Please Ms. Beadle come with me" Michael Hayes insisted then turned back to AJ and Punk "I will be dealing with you later- the both of you" he hissed _

"_Goodie" Punk smirked _

"_Crap" AJ muttered noting the scene that had formed around them "I'm in so much trouble"_

"_I'll take care of it" Punk assured her_

* * *

_Of course Punk didn't have that much control and she received quit the verbal lashing from all the higher ups of the company and Punk was less than thrilled with it. They wouldn't let him in on her meetings and when she described to him what they said to her he was furious. They didn't care AJ was defending him at all they only cared about their reputation with celebrities. And he would make sure to take a stab at the company via Twitter the next day. _

"_They're not going to like that" AJ noted to Punk as they hung around his Chicago home _

"_Good that's the point" Punk said keeping his eyes locked on the Hockey game on TV. _

"_I could have handled it better" AJ said to him but he just frowned _

"_You did what you had to do, the same thing I would have done if the situation was reversed" Punk said seriously "I hate that they care more about the likes of Michelle Beadle then you" _

"_I'm a small fish in a big pond" AJ shrugged _

"_You're not" Punk said looking over to her _

"_At least it hasn't leaked to the press" AJ said with a smile "That's good"_

"_How could you be so calm?" Punk questioned "The way they talked to you makes me not want to even show up to TLC on Sunday" _

"_We can't do that" AJ frowned "I have to drop my belt at some point"_

"_Is that what they said to you?" Punk demanded _

"_No but they did say they would have to 'review' their plans" AJ mocked _

"_If they make you drop the belt as some sort of punishment they will regret I assure you" Punk promised _

"_I can take care of myself" AJ assured her worried boyfriend "Besides let's focus on this wedding and how we're going to make it on time" AJ had agreed to attend Punk's good friend CJ Wilson's wedding only issue was the wedding was the same night as TLC_

"_Vince said we'd be the first two matches and I've already booked our flights. We'll be a little late and miss the ceremony but we'll make the reception" Punk told her _

"_I'm excited to meet your friends" AJ said placing her hand on his thigh and resting her head against his shoulder _

"_I'm excited to show you off" Punk said to her _

"_You seem more tense than usual, what else has you so upset?" AJ asked him _

"_You remember Dave Batista?" Punk questioned and she nodded "He called me earlier told me he's coming back"_

"_He's a friend of yours right?" AJ asked _

"_Yea but he's coming back at the Rumble" Punk noted "He's going to win it"_

"_He told you that?" AJ asked surprised. For the last few weeks Punk was under the impression he was taking the Rumble this year_

"_He didn't have to" Punk snorted "He's got a big movie coming out and he's buddies with Hunter. It's a done deal"_

"_That's not fair" she frowned "Maybe plans will change"_

"_Nothing changes in that place" Punk warned her "I thought I could help the process but at the end of the day Vince is a stubborn old bastard and it's his way or the highway. I don't want to see you get screwed over like I am"_

"_It's not fair" AJ said to him again causing him to offer her a weak smile _

"_It's not but I should have expected it" Punk shrugged simply "I should have seen the writing on the wall when I was WWE champion for Wrestlemania 28 and they wouldn't even put in the main-event" _

"_You are the most dedicated guy that works there" AJ argued lightly "I just-"_

"_-it's fine shorty really it just makes things easier for me" Punk insisted _

"_Makes what easier?" she frowned _

"_I don't have much left in the tank anymore" Punk sighed "I'm always in pain, I'm exhausted I just can't do it like I used to"_

"_So you're not going to re-sign?" she questioned_

"_I don't even know if I'm going to finish out my contract" Punk admitted surprising AJ a bit "But I'm going to hold out for as long as I can"_

"_If you were to win the Rumble would you stay?" AJ asked_

"_I would defiantly try to stick it out but why should I put all my blood, sweat and tears into a place that constantly slaps me in the face?" Punk asked and AJ had to agree with that "If things really start to go south and I end up going I don't want you to follow me" he said knowing she was already thinking that "I can afford to burn bridges you can't"_

"_I really don't think I can be there without you" AJ admitted sadly "I mean Celeste is already talking about getting out of her contract and now you-"_

"_It might not happen but if it does you stick it out and prove to them that you're stronger than that" Punk said seriously "But if they think that they're going to change the script on your match and make you drop the belt then maybe it will speed up the process a bit that's why I'm bringing this up"_

"_You'd walk out of the company out of protest for me?" AJ asked with a frown_

"_Like I said there's a lot of reasons but yes- if we show up on Sunday and they try to pull something on you I'll walk out faster than they could say Wrestlemania" Punk assured her _

"_You know my last two boyfriends were wrestlers and they would dump me in a second for a chance to wrestle in a dark match before Main-Event" AJ smirked _

"_Your exes didn't know how good they had it with you but that's fine" Punk said to her _

"_Why is that?" AJ asked_

"_Because their loss was my gain" Punk grinned_

* * *

_Arriving at TLC AJ was pulled into a meeting as soon as she arrived and was again screamed at for ten minutes and lectured about proper behavior. But the plus side was that after the verbal tongue lashing she was assured it wouldn't be bought up again and she'd be keeping her treasured butterfly belt. As she approached the Diva's locker room she frowned. _

"_I know it's insane" she heard Natalya- her opponent for the night say "I mean if I was in charge I'd want the Diva's title on someone who wasn't so screwy"_

"_You deserve it" she heard Nikki Bella say "Don't get me wrong AJ's great and all but she's been a mess these last few weeks. She was sloppy in the ring and got a concussion, she didn't eat and collapsed during one of my matches and now she's caused all this drama backstage. Tribute to the Troops should have been talked about because it's a great cause not because AJ is some clingy, insecure girlfriend. Either she's really bonkers or Punk is too big of a distraction for her"_

"_I just don't get why they like her so much" Natalya said to the women "She sells a few t-shirts and now they think she walks on water" _

"_She should be in a straight jacket" Cameron said to the group "I mean the belt should be on one of us. Could you imagine all the publicity we would get for it? She may sell some silly t-shirts but we're the stars of a successful TV show" _

"_Come on now guys" Trinity's voice rang out. She had worked with AJ longer than anyone and knew better than anyone how hard she worked to get to this point "AJ can wrestle and she's paid her dues. So she's made a few mistakes, who hasn't?" _

"_I've never exploded on one of WWE's guests" Nikki remarked_

"_Maybe you would have if that guest was disrespectful to John" Trinity shot back "Cut her some slack" _

"_I'm a professional" Nikki said proudly "I'd never act out of line to impress John and more importantly John wouldn't want me too. Punk looked like he was thrilled to see her go at it with Michelle. They're clearly meant to be together" before AJ knew it the door was now full opened and Nikki frowned upon seeing AJ "AJ-" she started knowing all the girls had been caught bashing her (minus Trinity) "-look-"_

"_It's fine" AJ said cutting her off _

"_AJ it's not like that" Trinity frowned making her way over _

"_It's fine" she said grabbing a hold of her bag _

"_Where are you going?" Trinity asked _

"_Somewhere that's not here" AJ said quickly then turned on her feet and headed down the hall _

_Tonight would have been a great opportunity to stay in Punk's private locker room that he usually received at most shows but because he was leaving right after his match he told them not to bother tonight. Not that she usually used his locker room she didn't want to give the other girls fuel for their fire but she'd do it tonight since the last place she wanted to be was around the women's division. She frowned and stopped in front of the women's bathroom and headed inside._

_It wasn't easy for AJ to get changed and the mirrors were so small she had trouble making sure she looked ok. _

"_What the hell are you doing?" Celeste questioned entering the small bathroom "You really let those chatty bitches chase you out of your locker room?"_

"_I want to avoid anymore issues" AJ said to her "And this is my way avoiding them" _

"_You're the Diva's champion you shouldn't be in the bathroom getting ready" Celeste frowned "People talk back here and in a week no one is even go to remember" _

"_They don't think I deserve I the title" AJ remarked folding her arms_

"_Of course they don't because they're jealous" Celeste laughed "I can't believe you folded like that"_

"_Like I said I'm in enough trouble. I want to keep the peace" AJ said to her _

"_The show doesn't start for another two hours so what are you going to do for that time?" Celeste challenged "Hide out in here? Or drag your luggage around with you all night?"_

"_Maybe I'll hide out in here, it's clean at least" AJ shrugged simply _

"_Come back to the locker room" Celeste insisted _

"_No way" AJ said to her quickly "I don't want to hear the whispers and avoid the eye glances"_

"_What would Punk think about you hiding in here?" Celeste asked _

"_I don't know" AJ admitted "He'd think it was a great idea I'm sure"_

"_I doubt that" Celeste frowned _

"_Stop" AJ said not wanting to discuss it more "I'm going to put my stuff in our rental, can you help me?" she asked _

"_Yea ok" Celeste said grabbing the smaller bag and throwing it over her shoulder _

"_You're stronger than me and you grabbed the smaller bag?" AJ grunted pulling her larger bag on wheel behind her _

"_I'm not your boyfriend" Celeste mocked "Ask him to carry your stuff"_

"_I wouldn't even have to ask" AJ remarked proudly as they headed down the hall. _

_Once they dropped AJ's stuff in her car they headed back in and immediately eyes were on her with people snickering._

"_What did I do now?" AJ asked Celeste _

"_Maybe they heard you moved into the bathroom" Celeste suggested also finding it weird by people's reactions. _

"_AJ" Wade Barrett said making his way over to the two of them and he was laughing as well "I can't thank you enough for all the enjoyment you have bought to me and everyone backstage with all your crazy antics" _

"_Careful Wade" Celeste warned _

"_Relax I'm referring to this" he said pulling out a flyer from his back pocket "Look at how funny that is" he said as he passed it to AJ who saw the familiar comic book drawing of her in bed with Punk asking him to call her Lita. "Get it? Because you want to be like Lita?" he laughed pointing at the drawing _

"_I get it" AJ said crumpling up the photo and throwing it on the ground _

"_That was mine" Wade said seriously then grinned "But that's ok there's so many copies of that here tonight I'll just grab another one" _

"_How many copies?" AJ questioned _

"_A lot" Wade laughed "Everyone thinks it's hysterical. Don't ever leave AJ because I don't know who would bring us such joy back here. Is the comic true by the way?" _

"_Excuse me?" AJ asked offended _

"_I mean it's no secret you were a big Lita fan and you've done a great job so far filling her shoes and her spot in her boyfriends bed" Wade said letting out a loud laugh _

"_Get out of my way" AJ warned. She wasn't sad she was now turning beat red_

"_Is cray-jay feeling a little crazy?" Wade mocked "You going to call your boyfriend to scare me off? Oh wait it's usually you fighting his battles" _

"_You want to see crazy Wade?" AJ asked tilting her head and stepping forward _

"_AJ don't" Celeste warned. There were a lot of eyes on them and AJ didn't need another scandal this week. _

"_Yea AJ don't" Wade mocked then grinned "Have you ever Matt Hardy by the way?" AJ didn't respond but turned around and walked as fast as she could down the hallway. She kept her eyes on the ground to avoid everyone's glares and mocking laughs._

* * *

Looking back at it now that was defiantly the second toughest time for her in the company (the first worst time for her there would come a few months later). She remembered feeling like she was in high school all over again. She was practically banished from everyone and the crude comments and laughter still replayed in her head. She was a tough woman but she also had feelings and insecurities. But as tough as that was for her Punk was there to catch before she fell like he always did.

_It was about half an hour until show time and AJ hadn't seen Punk yet she knew he was getting ready since he was the first match and she also didn't want to bother him with her drama. He had enough on his mind she just hoped he hadn't seen the flyer but he probably already had. She stayed in the women's bathroom that she was quickly starting to like much better than the Diva's locker room. She played on her phone when the door slowly crept open._

"_AJ?" Punk's voice asked slowly sticking his head into the bathroom and when he saw her sitting on the sink he stepped fully in "You alone?"_

"_Just me" she assured him throwing on her bravest face "You ready for your match?"_

"_Yea" Punk said looking around the bathroom "What happened?" he asked her _

"_What do you mean? I'm just getting ready" she shrugged _

"_I saw the flyer and went to the Diva's locker room where Celeste informed me that you were not in there and I would probably find you in here" Punk said to her "So again I'll ask, what happened? This is because of that ridiculous picture?"_

"_It was a few things. I'd rather hang out with toilets than the cast of Total Divas" AJ shrugged simply keeping her brave face on _

"_They gave you a hard time, huh?" Punk asked with a frown _

"_Not to my face" AJ said with a light smirk "Then I bumped into Barrett and he had that flyer-"_

"_He's a jackass" Punk reminded her seriously "Don't let anyone bully you into the bathroom of all places. You're better than that"_

"_I just wanted to be left alone" she admitted _

"_If people were giving you a hard time why didn't you come to me?" Punk asked seriously _

"_Because I don't need to run and hide behind you every time my feelings get hurt" AJ said seriously _

"_So you just run and hide into the bathroom?" Punk quipped back _

"_It's quiet" AJ said with pursed lips causing Punk to smirk _

"_What do you even care what these sheep think of you?" Punk asked_

"_I don't" AJ told him honestly "I care what you think of me"_

"_And you think the cast of Total Diva's and a stupid Internet drawing is going to change the fact that I love you?" Punk asked seriously. AJ eye's widened slightly_

"_You love me?" AJ asked seriously _

"_I do" Punk said with a nod "I actually was going to tell you tonight I know it seems almost childish to plan out saying something but I wanted it to be special for you" _

"_You really love me?" AJ questioned again _

"_I love you" Punk repeated "I love you, I love you, I love you and I don't give a damn what anyone says about you. You're the most beautiful person I have ever met on the inside and out" his words bought tears to her eyes and she watched as he grabbed her hand and kissed it "Do you need me to beat someone up for you?" he asked seriously "I don't care if they fire me I'll find Barrett before we go"_

"_No" AJ said shaking her head hopping off the sink "You have just turned one of the worst nights of my life into one of the best with three words. And I love you too"_

"_I know" Punk said in a knowing voice _

AJ never imagined that her and Punk would share such an important moment of their relationship together in an arena bathroom but it was perfect and classic for them. She always laughed looking back at the moment but it was so perfect that she wouldn't have changed it for the world. Though that was a rough week for her it definitely bought the two closer together and that would turn out to be a regular occurrence for the two of them, the tougher life got the stronger they became together.


	7. Holidaze

**Part VII: Holidaze**

* * *

AJ peered outside the window on this rainy day that was also her wedding day. Most people would find it to be bad luck but like her soon to be husband she not only didn't believe in luck she also loved the rain and it wouldn't have had it any other way. She didn't need a fancy outdoor wedding and wouldn't have minded just going to the courthouse but Punk insisted on showing her off and rubbing their wedding in the faces of all the people that tried to hold them back or mock them online. Truth was she was happy they decided to have a decently sized wedding because like him she was anxious to prove to the world how happy she was and Punk was great at wrestling but he was better at making her happy.

_It was the night before Christmas Eve and Punk had kept true to his word and decided to take her to a hockey game. AJ again wasn't big on hockey but it made Punk so happy she just had to see what all the fuss was about. He was decked out in his usual jersey that he wore to every game he went to while AJ opted on her leather jacket and black t-shirt._

_They were practically sitting on the ice and every time a player hit the glass in front of them she was sure they were going to fall through. She had to admit she did enjoy the game and found it to be the most exciting of all the sporting events she had ever attended. But her eyes weren't focused on the game they were focused on him. He was so passionate it about and that made her root even harder for the Blackhawks to win the game. She also loved how he enthusiastically explained every play and move in the game to her._

_"So what did you think?" Punk asked as they entered his house together_

_"I liked it" she beamed "I mean it's really dangerous and I don't know how they can skate that long without falling but it was exciting"_

_"Hockey is exciting" Punk agreed "So you'd come to another game with me?"_

_"I'd go to every game with you" AJ said seriously_

_"So what did you buy?" Punk asked referring to the bag in her hand. When she came back from the bathroom she had a bag from the gift shop. "Is that a Christmas present for me?"_

_"I already got your gifts" AJ reminded him_

_"They're not under the tree" Punk said referring to the small tree that was in his living room_

_"I know because I don't trust that you'll try to sneak a peek" AJ said seriously "This is for me"_

_"Alright" Punk smirked_

_"Speaking of gifts my gift isn't under the tree either" AJ said to him_

_"Well I figured being with me was gift enough so on Christmas morning I'm going to be under the tree" Punk teased in a serious tone_

_"Ohhh" AJ beamed "Will you be naked?"_

_"Of course" he replied just as serious_

_"Best gift ever" AJ said reaching up and giving him a kiss_

_"Some would even call it the best gift in the world" he said with his signature smirk_

_Later that night both were ready for bed because with all the traveling and running around they had been doing he wasn't even sure how they stayed away for the entire game. He had gone downstairs to make sure everything was locked up like usual and when he came back into the bedroom AJ was gone._

_"Shorty?" he questioned looking around_

_"I'll be right there!" She shouted from inside his connecting bathroom. A few minutes later AJ stepped out of the bathroom and Punk stood in shock. He was so easy AJ thought to herself, this would be the hottest thing he had ever seen._

_"You like it? It's what I picked up earlier" She said twirling around. She was wearing a-large Blackhawks t-shirt with nothing else. The shirt stopped just under thigh._

_"So you did buy me a Christmas present" Punk said seriously as he eyed up her legs_

_"I knew you'd like it" AJ smirked skipping over to him_

_"I don't like it, I love it" Punk grinned running his hands down her side "The two things I love most are morphed together" he said seriously causing her to let out a laugh_

_"You love me more though, right?" AJ asked seriously but he didn't respond instead he pulled her into a rough and bruising kiss that she enjoyed. It wasn't long before he pushed her onto the bed and pushed the shirt up slightly, not wanting to fully to take it off of her yet and that's when he thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest._

_"Where did you get those?" Punk marveled at her Blackhawks underwear_

_"These I actually had to have made up, wasn't easy" AJ noted seriously "I tucked them away for a special occasion"_

_"Merry Christmas to me" Punk muttered before kissing her there but leaving the garment on her "I almost don't want to undress you" he said as he moved up her body so his face was only a breath away from hers_

_"Oh you better" AJ warned him with a laugh_

_"And the answer is yes by the way" he said before giving her chaste kiss on the lips "I do love you more than the Blackhawks"_

_They spent Christmas Eve with Punk's family and friends at his house and AJ had a great time and meshed very well with everyone. She had grown so comfortable with them that she was starting to become attached to them. Punk was thrilled by all of this. Cliff was last to leave his house that night and that wasn't until about three in the morning. Punk and AJ had agreed to spend Christmas day together and completely alone._

_"So it's already Christmas morning" AJ noted_

_"Yea and Santa is going to pass this place over if you don't get to sleep soon" Punk said seriously_

_"I want to exchange gifts" AJ said happily_

_"It's not really Christmas morning" Punk noted_

_"Yes it is. Please, please, please" she begged peppering his face with kisses_

_"Ok, ok one gift" Punk said to her_

_"Yay!" AJ said running up the stairs to find his gift. By the time she came back down stairs he was sitting by the tree with a medium sized box and a smile. AJ was holding a smaller item wrapped neatly_

_"Can I give you mine first?" AJ asked excitedly_

_"Sure" Punk smirked as he accepted the gift AJ placed in his hands. He unwrapped it and laughed "Just what I wanted" he said admiring the framed picture_

_"A framed autograph photo of one of my favorite wrestlers of all time" Punk smirked "You" he said flashing the framed photo of AJ._

_"I personalized it" she said pointing to the writing_

_"I pinky promise to love you forever, Love Shorty" Punk leaned over and gave her a kiss "I'm going to put it right next to my bed"_

_"Do you really think I'm that cheap?" AJ asked seriously "Open the back of the frame"_

_"You promising to love me forever isn't cheap" Punk noted but opened the back of the frame and there was an envelope_

_"Colt told me you hadn't gotten them yet so…" AJ smiled as he pulled out the season tickets to the Blackhawks games for next year._

_"Seriously?" Punk asked with a smile "These seats are better than the ones I usually get" he said noting he was closer to the Blackhawks bench. Those seats had been taken every year he tried to get them "Usually these are reserved for families, how the hell did you pull this off?"_

_"I have my ways" AJ said proudly "And it did help when I mentioned they were for you" she smirked "Usually you pick them up to late to get these seats"_

_"I always forget" Punk said admiring the tickets "Thank you I love it" he said giving her another kiss "But this is really expensive you shouldn't have done that"_

_"I wanted too" AJ insisted "But you do have to promise to take me to at least one game"_

_"I'll take you to all of the games" Punk said seriously_

_"Ok my turn" AJ said anxiously extending her hands to Punk for her gift_

_"You're like a little kid" Punk smirked placing the package in her hands and she was surprised by how heavy it was "Don't drop it or it will break" he warned_

_"What is it?" AJ asked looking at him_

_"Open it" Punk encouraged with a head nod and smiled as she ripped the wrapping paper into a million pieces_

_"Oh my god!" she shouted_

_"That's what you say during-" Punk was about to stay with a cheeky grin_

_"-don't ruin this moment" she warned with a smile looking at the gift "How did you do this? How did you make these?" it was glass container containing action figures of herself- dressed in the many different costumes she has worn over the years. He picked his select favorites of course and they were all mounted in the glass box._

_"I have a friend who has a friend" Punk shrugged simply. He knew how being a Wrestler was such a huge deal to her and being a Diva she didn't get many action figures so he went ahead and had them made for her_

_"This is the best gift ever!" she said not taking her eyes off of the object_

_"So the first one is you dressed in your plaid attire, the second is you dressed as Kane with the mask because that was the funniest things I had ever seen, the third is my personal favorite you dressed in my shirt because let's be honest that's been the best look and the last one is you from Payback when you won the title for the first time" Punk said pointing to each figure_

_"I'm even holding the belt" AJ smiled. The detail was extraordinary even her shoes matched her outfits perfectly and her hair was accurate with each figure, lighter and shorter for the first one and pitch black for her last one. The cuts to the outfits were even flawless. "I love it" AJ said looking up at him_

_"Good" Punk smiled and watched as she looked even closer at her wrestling figures_

* * *

That was AJ's favorite Christmas by far. Punk knew her so well and gave her something that no one else could. As for her gift he loved the tickets but also kept true to his word and the framed photo of AJ remained on the table next to bed and it was angled to face the bed as well. She told him it was just a gag gift to throw him off of the real gift which was the tickets but he insisted that he loved it and kept it there and told her that he loved waking up to her beautiful face even when she wasn't physically there. Once she moved in she tried to move the photo because she found it odd that her picture was staring at her now while she slept but he refused and said it was part of his room and he'd never take it down. Her action figures also made the move to their house and they were proudly displayed in the living room on a shelf above the TV. When people would come over they would love looking at them and AJ couldn't wait to show off the fact that Punk had them made special for her. Her first Christmas in Chicago was memorable but her first New Years with him was just as memorable.

_For some unknown reason WWE booked a house show in Montreal the same night as Monday Night Raw. The last few months Punk and AJ were always on the same tour so she had assumed they would have been together on the Monday before new years eve but there was a last minute change and they decided to send AJ to Montreal to face Natalya while Punk would be headlining Raw. He thought it was a way of punishing her over the Beadle incident but she told him not to make a big deal of it. She was worried about getting back home in time for New Years since traveling wouldn't been easy and she insisted he go back to Chicago so he could at least be with his family while she would most likely get stuck in the airport trying to get back._

_Sure enough she was right and there were so many delays that her flight was cancelled and it was already New Year's Eve. She wasn't too upset since she told Punk to go to Chicago and she was going to be heading back to Tampa anyway but she had hoped it would have worked it and to be honest she didn't want to ring in the New Year with a bunch of strangers on a plane. Of course most of the superstars flew their families out with to the show to avoid the travel but since Punk had to be at Raw she was alone regardless. Tamina had insisted AJ stay in Canada with her and her two daughters but AJ just wanted to get home which she hadn't been since before Christmas as it was. While waiting in the airport she pulled out her phone and decided to call Punk._

_"Hey shorty" Punk said answering_

_"Hi babe how was Raw?" AJ asked just enjoying hearing his voice_

_"It sucked, I missed you" Punk said plainly "What about you?"_

_"Wonderful. I lost my tenth time in a row to Natalya" she muttered "And now my flight has been delayed the one before that had been cancelled- I'm going to be spending New Years in Canada at this rate"_

_"I'm sorry shorty but maybe it will work out" Punk said trying to ease her mind_

_"I doubt it" AJ sighed "Are you on your way back home?"_

_"Yea I decided to take a flight out actually" Punk said to her_

_"And you had no issues?" AJ asked stunned_

_"You know usually every other day of the year I always have problems flying out but today has been my lucky day. Well to be fair my flight last night was cancelled but I'm about to board right now" Punk said happily making AJ feel jealous slightly_

_"You don't believe in luck" AJ reminded him_

_"After today I might" He laughed_

_"So who are you going to kiss midnight?" AJ questioned_

_"I called Michelle Beadle and she's meeting me at Natalie's" Punk said to her but she didn't respond "I'm kidding" he said knowing she didn't see the humor in his joke "No one I won't be kissing anyone"_

_"Ok" AJ said feeling better even though she knew he wouldn't "Go board your flight and I'll see you in a couple of days if I ever get out of Montreal"_

_"Don't make me fly down there to get you" Punk threatened_

_"Please do" she said sadly_

_"I love you" Punk said to her "Keep your chin up"_

_"Yea ok I love you too and if I don't get to see you before Happy New Year" AJ said to him_

_"You'll hear from me, trust me" He said arrogantly then hung up_

_About ten minutes later AJ felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see none other than John Cena._

_"Hey" John smiled "Are you still waiting on a flight?"_

_"Yea at this rate I'll make it home for New Years next year" AJ smirked "What about you?"_

_"My plane was having engine trouble so they're just checking it out" John said to her "Should be ready in a bit"_

_"The luxury of having your own private plane" AJ smirked "So do you and Nikki have big plans?"_

_"We did" John smirked "I just hope I'll make it home in time for the ball dropping now. What about you? Heading to Tampa or Chicago with Punk?"_

_"Tampa" AJ said to him surprising John "Punk and I were going to spend the New Year in Tampa for a change but since I'm stuck here I sent him back to Chicago"_

_"If you're going to Tampa fly out with me" John insisted_

_"I couldn't ask you to take me along" AJ said politely_

_"AJ we're going to the same place and besides you can keep me company on a long flight" John said to her_

_"You don't mind?" AJ asked making sure he was sure_

_"I insist" John said seriously_

_"Thanks John" AJ said standing up and like the true gentleman he was he helped her with her luggage_

* * *

_When the plane landed it was 12:07am and not only did AJ not get to see Punk before the ball dropped but she also didn't even get to speak to him._

_"You need a ride home?" John offered as they rolled their luggage through the airport_

_"You've done more than enough for tonight" AJ said to him "Go home and try to salvage some of this night with Nikki and happy new year" she said giving him a kiss on the cheek_

_"Anytime April" John grinned "But I'd feel better not leaving you in the airport waiting on a cab, let me take you home"_

_"I'll take her home" a voice said approaching the two and both turned and saw Punk by the exit of the airport_

_"Punk!" AJ shouted and threw her arms around him_

_"Hey shorty" Punk grinned as she pulled away "Happy New Year" he said before giving her a kiss_

_"I don't get a kiss?" John mocked_

_"I wouldn't want to make Nikki jealous" Punk shot at the man then shook his hand "Thanks for getting her home"_

_"Anytime" John grinned "Have a good night guys" he said with wave then walked off_

_"What are you doing here?" AJ asked holding onto the edges of his jacket_

_"When I heard John was still Canada himself I called him up in the morning and asked him to get you home" Punk told her simply_

_"You didn't miss your flight home you changed it to meet me here" AJ said with a grin. He was the best boyfriend in the world_

_"I didn't want to spend New Years without you" Punk admitted_

_"If only I made it back in time" AJ frowned_

_"You missed the ball drop by 7 minutes we'll make up for it" Punk assured her with a cheeky grin_

_"Thank you" she said pulling him into a kiss and he responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer_.

* * *

AJ wasn't sure how long they stayed in the airport kissing that night but it was a while. AJ wasn't big on romantic gestures but Punk was full of them and he made it seem so effortless and the truth was with each gesture she just fell deeper and deeper in love with him. In 2012 when she had to propose to him onscreen and she told him 'no one has ever cared about me' that was a real moment for her. Sure her family cared about her but she had never been anyone's number one but Punk made her feel that way everyday they were together. This was probably one of the last times she'd have to really worry about them traveling together for work or being apart because a few weeks later they'd stop travelling together for good...


	8. Going Home

**Part VIIII: Going Home**

* * *

AJ was really starting to get anxious waiting to start the wedding and opened the door and headed down the hall. She was careful not to be seen and took the employee stairwell and headed down two flights to the main floor. Once she made it there she found the room she was going to be married in and remained hidden while she peeked her head through and that's when she saw Punk. He looked amazing in his suit and he seemed happy. He was laughing with a few of the guys while people were slowly making their way to their seats. She couldn't hide her smile while watching him let out a loud laugh and slapping Colt on the shoulder. He wasn't nervous at all and that put her at ease. She was so sure this day would never come the day he walked out of the WWE because how long do couples usually last when they're apart for as much time as they would be? And part of her was even scared once he left he would cut off all communication with the WWE including her. Of course that was a ridiculous thought and when she even mentioned that fear to him he was angry with her. It's almost as if their perfect holiday week was tainted by what took place not long after.

_"Ouch!" AJ shouted rubbing her butt "I told you I couldn't do this"_

"_It takes time" Punk laughed skating over to her and stopping short in front of her "How are you going to be an ice girl if you can't skate?" he asked grabbing her hands and helping her to her feet. Punk had thought it would be fun to spend the day at the ice skating rink. He wanted to learn because he loved hockey so much and could easily sign up for charity games and such, dragging her along with him was for his own amusement she was sure. _

"_I can't even walk half the time" AJ reminded him wiping some ice off of her butt "And the ice hurts more than the mat" _

"_I fell just as much as you did the first couple of times" Punk told her "You just have to practice"_

"_Aren't there like baby skates or something? You know how when you bowl they put up bumpers for kids?" AJ questioned_

"_Sorry shorty this is it" Punk said with a smirk then grabbed onto her hand "Come on just hold onto me" _

"_I don't want to drag you down with me your back is in enough pain" AJ reminded him but he started to skate while still gripping her hand anyway forcing her to follow _

"_If you fall I fall that's the deal" Punk said to her as he picked up his pace _

"_Too fast" AJ said nervously _

"_You need to keep a fast pace" Punk told her _

"_That's the easy part, the hard part is stopping" AJ said to him causing him to laugh _

"_Relax" Punk insisted _

"_Hey CM Punk!" A young fan shouted from across the rink causing him to get distracted and stop which lead to AJ getting lose from him and crashing on to the cold ice _

"_Crap" he muttered skating over to her "Are you ok?" he winced knowing she hit the ice really hard "I'm sorry shorty"_

"_It's ok" she said sitting up "I don't like this" she pouted _

"_Ok" Punk smirked "Let's get you out of here before you show up to work covered in bruises and people start talking" he then helped her to her feet and off the rink _

_Walking to his car wasn't fun either it was snowing like it had been doing the last two days in Chicago and there was already two feet of snow on the ground._

"_Days like this make miss Tampa" AJ shivered _

"_Next week we'll stay there, ok?" Punk said and she nodded as he headed to the car and she was slowly walking behind him but that's when she got an idea. "You want to-" he started to ask as he turned around but stopped when he felt a snowball hit his face_

"_That was perfect!" AJ laughed "I should give up on hockey and practice baseball!" she cheered _

"_That was cold" Punk said holding back a smile and running his un-gloved hand over his face _

"_So was the ice in there. I think you only bought me with you so you can watch me fall" AJ said seriously "As a matter of fact-" she stopped mid-sentence when she was hit with a snowball as well but not in her face, thankfully he knew better_

"_It's not so pleasant is it?" Punk grinned _

"_You're so mean!" She laughed "It's not bad enough you dragged me around the rink-" she stopped when she saw another snowball coming and quickly ducked but still not nailed in the back _

"_We're even now" Punk said to her unlocking the car door but they weren't even close to even the next thing he felt was freezing snow sliding down his back. AJ had taken a handful and pulled his shirt and jacket back slightly to drop the snow inside._

"_Now we're even" AJ said smugly slapping his back lightly "What? You don't like the snow and cold? You're the one who always wears shorts in the winter" she reminded him _

"_You're going to get it now" he said seriously as quickly lifted her over his shoulder _

"_No, no please I'm sorry" she laughed as she clutched onto his leather jacket "Please don't I'm so cold already"_

"_You started this war shorty" Punk warned as he moved her to the front lawn of the rink that was covered in snow and dropped her carefully onto it. She was now completely covered in snow "Do you want to continue this war?" he asked looking down at her but she looked up with a frozen face _

"_No, no I surrender" AJ said extending her hand to him so he could help her up he grabbed her hand but was surprised when she tugged him down into the snow next to him and pounced on top of him "I win!" she cheered happily _

"_Ok, ok you win" Punk relented that's when she leaned down and kissed him _

"_I always win" AJ said slowly as her lips brushed against his "Don't ever forget that"_

"_Noted" Punk said seriously with a grin _

"_How are you not shivering?" AJ demanded realizing the cold wasn't affecting him as much as it was her _

"_You're keeping me nice and warm" he smirked running his hand under her jacket and t-shirt _

"_Well I'm freezing so let's go home" AJ said giving him a quick kiss before crawling off of him and standing up _

"_Lucky for you I have a scorching hot hot tub" Punk smirked standing on his own two feet now. _

"_That sounds great but I didn't pack a suit" AJ frowned _

"_Good" Punk grinned _

They did have a great time in that hot tub that night AJ thought remembering it fondly. The next night they were flying out to Raw and that made AJ flash to the beginning of the end.

_AJ was dressed for the show and happily making her rounds around the backstage area. She was decked out in a pair of jean shorts her new 'ice-cold' t-shirt. When she turned down the hall she found her boyfriend chatting it up with the returning Batista. He seemed ok to her, she was worried how he would be around the Animal but he seemed pretty happy to see his old friend. He caught her gaze from down the hall and he waved her down the hall to join him. Batista turned slightly and smiled at the sight of AJ as well._

"_Hey shorty I want you to meet someone" Punk said as she reached her destination "This is Dave, Dave this is my AJ" his AJ she repeated in her and head and tried not to blush _

"_It's nice to finally meet you" Dave said seriously shaking her hand "This guy talks about you so much I was pretty sure you didn't exist"_

"_Oh you didn't follow the program while away?" Punk mocked _

"_You know me man" Dave laughed "I've got better things to do. And you're the Diva's champion right?"_

"_Yea" AJ said proudly _

"_She's about to break the record actually" Punk noted just as proud _

"_Wow and you didn't have to sell your soul to the E network?" Dave laughed "You must be good" _

"_She's the best" Punk agreed _

"_You're making me blush" AJ warned Punk who didn't seem to care_

"_She is cute" Dave said to Punk _

"_Told you" Punk laughed back _

"_Hey when this guy blows it, give me a call" Dave joked to AJ _

"_Oh I don't think that will happen" AJ said wrapping her arms around Punk's waist _

"_Yea go scout out the single divas" Punk remarked _

"_Dude none of them are single" Dave said seriously causing Punk to smile_

"_That's never stopped you before" Punk reminded him of his time with Melina _

"_Ouch" Dave said to him "He's so mean what do you see in him?"_

"_He's actually the nice one in the relationship" AJ remarked still keeping her arms wrapped around her boyfriend _

"_Ok so now I'm officially scared of you" Dave said seriously "It was nice meeting you AJ, Punk I'll see you at the Rumble buddy" he said and Punk just nodded _

"_He seems nice" AJ noted as Batista walked away _

"_Yea he's ok" Punk said slowly "Just uh- don't let him get you alone"_

"_Oh please" AJ laughed _

"_You're his type" Punk said seriously _

"_But he's not my type" AJ retorted just as seriously "My type is a strong, sexy, tatted, hockey loving, comic book reading, gamer nerd" _

"_Thanks" Punk smirked "But you do realize you just described him as well" _

"_You think Batista is sexy?" AJ laughed _

"_That's what the ladies in the locker room thought back in the day" Punk defended _

"_He's not sexy and he tries too hard" AJ noted "You're effortless" _

"_You're sweet" Punk smirked _

"_So did he mention the Rumble?" AJ asked _

"_No" Punk said to her "They probably told him not to talk about it but let's be honest this is what they want the face of their company to be, that's the face they want to headline Wrestlemania with Orton not me"_

"_That would be a huge mistake" AJ said to him "But hey at least you're getting a chance to wrestle at the Rumble"_

"_What do you mean?" Punk questioned_

"_I just got back from a meeting, there's no room on the card for me this month" AJ informed him causing him to frown _

"_What do you mean 'no room?" Punk demanded. She loved that he cared that much about her career "There's plenty of room"_

"_They also don't have it in the budget" AJ shrugged "With all the guys in the rumble this year the bonus budget is cut short. I offered to do it with the extra pay-"_

"_No" Punk said cutting her off "You're a talent here and you should be paid just like the guys are. I knew when they announced this stupid Network this would happen"_

"_It's ok" AJ insisted "It's just the Network is costing more than they thought."_

"_And what did they say when you offered to skip the bonus?" Punk asked intrigued _

"_They thanked me and said they could see what they could do but not to get my hopes up" AJ shrugged _

"_You deserve better than that" Punk insisted "This place is such a god damn joke"_

"_Really I'm not upset by it. I can't be in every show" AJ said to him _

"_They've hardly used you in general" Punk reminded her "Even when you're here they put the reality stars in a match over you"_

"_I don't care" AJ said simply "I'm still the champion and that's what matters"_

"_You're a performer. You don't want to be famous you want to Wrestle" Punk reminded her "You should be able to perform"_

"_Don't say anything" AJ said to him sweetly "I don't want to make a big deal out of it"_

"_Ok" Punk said agreeing. As much as he wanted to help AJ in her career and protect her from the higher-ups he knew she had to look out of herself._

* * *

_The morning after the Royal Rumble Punk was absolutely miserable. And just like he predicted Batista walked away the winner of a match that Punk had been in for over 45 minutes. He was also in an extraordinary amount of pain. The last few months at all the house shows and shows he had been battling the Shield on his own as well. 3-1 even though it was scripted still left its bumps and bruises. Not to mention he had been going for tests and told to change his diet. She wasn't sure if he was just physically sick or mentally exhausted. The fact that he had been suffering and continued to show up night after night proved how dedicated he was and how much he deserved the top spot this year. She wanted nothing more than to rip into the entire McMahon family and writers but refrained because like she didn't want him to fight her battles he didn't want her fighting his. _

_She found him talking to Paul Heyman and Hunter down the hall from the offices and warily approached the three. _

"_..I'm not going out there and lying to everyone!" Punk shouted as Paul rubbed his temple, clearly this was going to bad_

"_You need to calm down" Hunter told Punk firmly "You need a break and this our way of giving you one."_

"_I'm not going to lie!" Punk shouted again "I don't have a concussion! And I don't need a break I need to leave for good!"_

"_Punk" AJ said in a worried tone causing him to turn to her "Are you ok?"_

"_Yea" Punk insisted calming his voice when talking to her _

"_Maybe you can talk some sense into him" Hunter said to AJ _

"_Oh god" Paul muttered knowing this wasn't going to end well_

"_Don't try to get my girlfriend to do your job! It's not her job to run this show it's yours and you've royally screwed up!" Punk said yelling at Hunter_

"_Sorry I'm late" Vince said approaching the group "Let's take this somewhere more private"_

"_I don't have anything left to say" Punk told him simply _

"_Please Punk just give him ten minutes" Paul encouraged _

"_I've giving them years!" Punk shouted _

"_Punk" AJ said pulling him aside slightly "If you're going to do this just do it right" she said knowing he was planning on walking out and not coming back _

"_Ok" Punk said to her in a low voice "I'll find you after, don't go far"_

"_Ok" she promised as he turned back to face Vince and Hunter _

"_You two want to join us?" Vince offered AJ and Paul, he wanted Punk to have to look in the face of the people he would be leaving behind _

"_No they've already heard what I have to say" Punk said coldly to the chairman before stepping into the office followed by Vince and Hunter. _

"_It's going to be ok" Paul Heyman said to AJ "He knows what he's doing"_

"_I know" AJ said to him "I just want him to be happy and if that means he can't be here then so be it"_

"_He loves you" Paul informed her "You're the only reason he's stuck out this long. So now matter what decision he makes inside that room just know it's not going to change anything between the two of you" _

"_Thanks" AJ said forcing a smile _

"_I've got some errands to run before the show but if you want I'll wait with you" Paul offered_

"_No, no go ahead" AJ insisted _

"_Alright kiddo I'll be in touch" Paul said before walking away and leaving an anxious AJ outside the office door alone._

_Almost twenty minutes later Punk still hadn't reemerged from the office but she could here faint yelling. She noticed the 2014 Royal Rumble Batista make his way down the hall and stopped short outside of Hunter's office. _

"_Hey are you waiting to see Hunter?" Batista questioned _

"_No he's in a meeting right now" AJ told him quietly and Batista just frowned _

"_Oh he's in there with Punk huh? He didn't seem to pleased last night" Batista noted lightly _

"_Can you blame him?" AJ questioned surprising the veteran superstar "He's worked his ass off for years and for the third year in a row he's being tossed aside for a part-timer" _

"_I take it that's a stab at me" Batista noted calmly "I don't write the show sweetheart I just show up"_

"_And I'm sure you only showed up because you were promised certain things" AJ snapped back _

"_I think you're taking your aggression out on the wrong guy" Batista said with a laugh "I get that he's upset but he knows how this business works. You need to worry about yourself here not your buddies"_

"_He's never had that mentality" AJ informed him_

"_And that's the reason for his downfall" Batista shot back "I'm not going to pass up a great moment so please Punk and you should be careful because if you start stepping on the wrong toes around here you'll be gone just as fast as Punk is about to be and unlike him they're not going to care when you go at the end of the day you're still just a Diva"_

"_A lot like Melina huh?" AJ shot back folding her arms "If I get fired for standing by Punk at least I'll still be able to look myself in the mirror, can you say the same?"_

"_Wow" Batista said with a proud head nod "You're just like him. Difference is you can't run your mouth off and get away with it like he can and I can guarantee to you that once he's officially gone your life is going to get a hell out a lot more tougher around here"_

"_That almost sounds like a threat" AJ remarked not backing down "Are you going to tattle on me to your friends Stephanie and Hunter?"_

"_No I'm not" Batista said to her "I respect your stance I just think it's a stupid one to take" _

"_I'm not stupid" AJ said to him and that's when the office door swung open and Punk stepped outside and was surprised to see Batista and AJ in what looked to be some sort of an argument "You ok?" she asked in a softer voice turning to face Punk_

"_Are you?" Punk asked stepping over to her "Do you have a problem Dave?" he shot at his friend but without the light tone. He was in a bad mood and all he needed was an excuse _

"_No" Batista said to him "Look I didn't catch you last night but I just wanted-" _

"_Save it" Punk muttered grabbing a hold of AJ's hand and led her down the hallway _

_Once he took her outside they headed towards his bus. _

"_What happened?" AJ asked already knowing the answer _

"_I'm leaving" Punk informed her_

"_When are you coming back?" AJ questioned but he didn't respond "You're not, are you?"_

"_No for the foreseeable future anyway" Punk said to her "I'll give you all the details later but I've got to get out of here now. I'm going to grab my stuff off the bus and head to the airport" _

"_Take the bus" AJ insisted "I can get a ticket to fly out to SmackDown" _

"_Are you sure?" Punk asked _

"_Yea absolutely" AJ assured him grabbing his hands into her own "Just relax"_

"_I'm going to be turning my phone off for a bit" Punk told her "They're going to try to get in touch with me but I can't deal with any of that right now, you're still going to come to Chicago on Wednesday?" _

"_Of course" AJ said to him _

"_Don't let them get to you" Punk warned her "They're going to use you to get to me-"_

"_I'll be fine I can hold my own" AJ assured him _

"_Obviously you were going nose to nose with Dave when I stepped out of the office" Punk said seriously "Don't engage AJ just let them run their mouths off. I'm not going to be here to help you"_

"_Like I said I can take care of myself I'm more worried about you" AJ said to him _

"_You have nothing to worry about because I'll be at home with my feet up" Punk smirked for the first time in two days. "I'll call you when I get back to Chicago and turn my phone back on ok? If you need anything and I mean anything at all call Colt or Natalie and they'll get me"_

"_Ok" she said to him sadly "I love you" he brushed her hair behind her ear and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips _

"_I love you too" _

AJ remembers watching him climb on the bus and drive away from the arena and thinking it was all over. She trusted her relationship with Punk but distance was never a good sign in any relationship. The night he left it was kept very quiet not even the companies golden boy John Cena knew what was going on and was looking for Punk most of the night to go over a potential match at a house show. But news broke that Wednesday and it was everywhere. Surprisingly Vince and Hunter hadn't bothered her about Punk and it must have been something said during that meeting that kept them away but when Stephanie approached her Tuesday night she thought it would be about getting in touch with Punk instead she was told take the rest of the week and not to consider it a punishment. She knew they wanted to make Punk happy and sending AJ right into his arms was the right way to do it.

_AJ arrived in Chicago on Wednesday morning she opted to take a cab to Punk's place since he was in 'hiding' and didn't want to be approached or bothered. She got to his place at about one in the afternoon. Punk saw her pull up and stepped over to the cab and paid her fair and helped her into his house._

_"Hi" Punk smiled wrapping his arms around AJ _

"_Hi back" she smiled kissing him "How are you feeling? How's your back?"_

"_It's sore" Punk shrugged "How are you?"_

"_I'm good" She assured him "I actually got the rest of the week off so if you don't mind having me around for the rest of the week-"_

"_They sent you home?" Punk asked feeling his anger rise _

"_No, no" AJ assured him quickly "Stephanie new the news was going to break earlier and she felt it might be best to be away until the shock wares down" _

"_I didn't want this happen" Punk said to her "I warned them about messing with you. The deal was I stay quiet and not bash them to the media as long as you are kept out of this and happy. If I get one whiff of them punishing you for any of this that deal is over" _

"_It's not a punishment" AJ promised "It's for the best. I'm still champion and I'll be back in a week or so. This is a good thing I can take you to some doctor appointments and nurse you back to health"_

"_Will you wear the Blackhawks shirt while nursing me back to health?" Punk asked seriously _

"_Most men would prefer a nurses uniform" AJ smirked _

"_I'm not most men" Punk reminded her with a wink_

* * *

AJ glanced one more time at the man she would be pledging her life to in less than thirty minutes and decided to head back to her room before she was seen. She remembered Punk putting her mind at ease that week they were together when he first left but as time passed and photos started to surface online that seed of doubt started to grow and it was major source of tension in their relationship.


	9. Without You

**A/N: I'm sure alot of people are wondering why I'm updating so much and the reason is because I've had free time these last few days and starting tomorrow and the rest of the week I won't. Anyway I think this might be one of my favorite chapters of this story so let me know what you think :)**

* * *

**Part IX: Without You**

* * *

As AJ snuck back up the stairs and arrived back in her room she hoped that she didn't get seen. She wanted Punk to be the first one to see her dressed. She was surprised by how many people had shown up for their wedding. The wedding had come about very quickly and in all fairness they didn't give much notice but almost everyone they invited was down there waiting. Celeste had arrived earlier in the day and again was the only person she had worked that she wanted there. Of course Kofi and Paul Heyman were in attendance but they were Punk's guests for the evening but that about rounded out everyone from the WWE that would be there and she was fine with that. One thing she had learned about the company from the time Punk left was that she truly didn't have many friends even Big E had distanced himself from her as the weeks went on but he had his own career to worry about so she had simply accepted it. Actually most of the wedding guests were Punk's family and friends but over the last few months she felt just as close to his inner circle as he did. The one person who was actually first to RSVP to the wedding was a woman she thought she'd never see eye-to-eye with- Ronda Rousey. She was the most feared female UFC competitor in history but that's not why AJ wasn't a huge fan of the female fighter it was her friendship with her boyfriend that left a bad taste in AJ's mouth.

_AJ had arrived at a house show and with Wrestlemania about two months away every show counted and everyone did them. Even Batista was working house shows. She missed being with Punk but the truth was the company had been fantastic with her taking extra time off to spend with him. And just like they had promised Punk they had not asked her about him or tried to pressure her into speaking to him. He had only been gone a few weeks and as time started to pass people were starting to give up hope on Punk returning and a lot of the superstars took cracks at him at AJ's expense but she was again fine with. She didn't mind that since Celeste left and now Punk that she was almost completely turned on by the entire Diva's Division and most mid-card superstars. The more seasoned and older superstars respected Punk enough not to lash our or complain to her about him but the younger guys felt Punk was acting like a baby and most would kill to have the opportunities he had been given._

_But again she handled all of that well it was what she came across online that bothered her. 'CM Punk dumps Diva's Champion for UFC Champion' was one headline that stuck out in her mind another was 'CM Punk leaves WWE and AJ Lee behind for UFC and Rona Rousey?'. There was also a picture attached to these articles and of course it was nothing bad it was Punk with a large group of friends in an elevator, Ronda just happened to be there. Of course this all stemmed from Ronda's 'hot' comments about Punk before and after the Royal Rumble. AJ saw the instagram video and comments made by Ronda during the Rumble and were understandably upset but Punk had laughed it all off and told AJ that Ronda is only a friend and they had never and would never have a physical relationship. She shouldn't have been so upset by the photos because she had known ahead of time he'd be in LA for the event hanging out with Rener and Eve and that Ronda would probably there but the headlines made things worse and the people backstage were getting a kick out of it. She was above caring what people thought but she was insecure enough without the help of her co-workers._

_"Hello AJ" Wade Barrett grinned walking towards her_

_"I don't have time for you" AJ muttered attempting to step by him but he stepped in the same direction to block her exit_

_"Make some time it's not like you have anything better to do" Wade grinned "So I was online and I came across these interesting articles about your ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend Ronda"_

_"Punk is my boyfriend" AJ bit back_

_"Oh so he's just sleeping with Ronda? You're ok with that sort of thing?" Wade asked with a frown "I mean I would say you could do better but Punk is probably the best you could ever do"_

_"Stay out of my business" AJ warned trying to step past him again but yet again she was blocked_

_"You seem mad and I want to help" Wade offered "I know it probably drives you mad knowing Punk is sleeping with another woman who is by far more talented and attractive than you" AJ rolled her eyes at the comments and folded her arms "So to help you get even I am offering you my services for one night"_

_"You're disgusting I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole" she shot at the brit, using the same words he used on her months ago_

_"AJ he's making a fool of you" Wade reminded her "Here you are being the loyal and loving girlfriend and he's gallivanting around Los Angeles with another woman"_

_"He went to a show with friends get your facts straight" AJ said poking him in the chest_

_"If you want to touch me AJ you can feel free to meet me in my hotel room or is that not your thing? You seem more like a backseat girl" with that remark AJ slapped him across the face as hard as she could_

_"Are you insane?" Wade asked stunned holding his burning cheek "You could get fired for this!"_

_"Fired for what?" Dave Batista asked coming over the two, he had witnessed the entire exchange "I'm pretty sure sexual harassment is against the rules here and I wonder how Vince would feel about you making AJ uncomfortable while he's trying to keep her as happy as possible?"_

_"She just hit me!" Wade shouted_

_"You deserved it" Batista said brushing it off as if it was nothing "And you would have gotten a lot worse if it was Punk standing here and not me"_

_"Well thankfully he took his ball and went home" Wade remarked "Keep your hands off of me" he said to AJ "And stay out of my business" he shot towards Batista then walked away_

_"Thanks" AJ muttered_

_"Like I said he deserved" Batista said to her "Are you ok?"_

_"Yea I'm used to Barrett being an ass" AJ said to him_

_"How does Punk feel about it?" Batista questioned and she just shrugged "You haven't told him what a hard time you're getting huh?"_

_"You were right" AJ said with a smirk "It has been tough"_

_"I wasn't telling you it would be to be a dick I was telling you just so you knew what to expect" Batista smiled "I like Punk and I feel bad he left and I know he's crazy about you and wouldn't want you taking this much heat"_

_"Well thank you for being nice to me not that I deserve it" AJ laughed dryly referring to her last encounter with the returning superstar_

_"You were upset and like I told you that night I respect your stand" Batista said to her "If anyone here tries to give you a hard time just come to me and I'll shut them up"_

_"Thank Batista" AJ said causing him to laugh_

_"You can call me Dave" Batista smirked "See you around" he said then stopped from walking and turned back to her "Oh and I wouldn't read too much into those pictures. You're special to him"_

_"How do you know that?" AJ asked curiously_

_"Because he's never introduced me to one of his girlfriends" Batista laughed then walked away_

_Later that night AJ hadn't called Punk after the show like she had being doing since working without him. She knew that he knew the show was over by 10 and when she didn't call by 10:30 her phone went off and saw it was Punk calling. She wasn't sure if she should answer it since she was still angry and didn't want to say something she'd regret later but going against her better judgment she answered._

_"Hello?" she asked politely_

_"Hey shorty" Punk said in a chipper voice "How was the show?"_

_"It was ok" AJ said to him "How's LA?" she asked knowing he was still there_

_"Fun I've caught up with a bunch of friends, went on a hike it was great" Punk told her "I miss you though"_

_"Well good thing you have so many good friends to keep you company" she replied coldly_

_"I really hope this isn't about the elevator picture" Punk sighed_

_"What do you think Punk?" AJ asked annoyed "Do you have any idea how humiliated I feel. Everyone is saying you dumped me for Ronda"_

_"It's ridiculous" Punk groaned "And you of all people shouldn't feed into it. I was there with Eve and Rener you know that. She went out with her mom after that photo and I went back to Rener's house"_

_"I know that and I know you didn't sleep with her but everyone else thinks you did" AJ shot at him "How would you feel if there was a photo with me in the elevator with a guy that had called me hot"_

_"I wouldn't think anything of it because I'd know better and I don't feed into the dirt sheets" he shot right back starting to feel angry his girlfriend didn't trust him_

_"As soon as I stepped foot into the arena tonight I had Wade Barrett in my face offering up his services to get back at you, do you know how degraded I felt?"_

_"I'll take care of Barrett" Punk said brushing it off_

_"How? You don't work here anymore and you didn't leave on a good enough note to even show your face backstage even if you wanted to." She reminded him coldly "But don't worry Dave had my back thankfully and shooed him off but that didn't make me feel any better"_

_"Dave who?" Punk asked "Batista?"_

_"Yea" AJ replied_

_"I thought I told you not to hang around him" Punk said seriously_

_"Oh really? I work with him Punk and he had my back tonight, which is more than I can say for you. I have supported you and stood by you while I have been shunned and disrespected because everyone is mad at you and can't take it on you!" AJ shouted knowing her emotions were getting the best of her_

_"AJ I-" Punk started but stopped when he heard her sniffle through the other side of the phone_

_"It's been really hard" AJ said crying "I didn't think everyone would get to me because I was prepared for the shunning but the fact that I have to show up here everyday without my best friend to pick me back up and promise me it will be ok because I'm not alone is the hardest part" she sniffled as she finished and Punk remained silent while she continued "I know it's not your fault and you shouldn't feel bad about this but I miss you so much, I miss you so much it hurts. Seeing you two days every other week sucks"_

_"I'm-" Punk started_

_"Don't apologize" AJ said cutting him off "I don't want your apologies I just want you"_

_"I can't AJ" Punk told her "I can't go back"_

_"I know" AJ choked out "Look I have to go I'm sorry for laying this all on you but have fun in LA and if I didn't completely scare you off I'll see you in Tampa on Tuesday" then she hung up quickly before she could even tell him she loved him._

* * *

_AJ was ninety percent sure she wouldn't be seeing Punk on Wednesday. He filmed a segment for the Walking Dean that Sunday and mentioned how he was a 'completely new man', the next Monday he didn't call or text her either but in all fairness she hadn't tried to reach out either once Raw was over she headed back to the hotel while most of the superstars opted to enjoy the nightlife of Texas. She was staying by herself like she had been for the last few weeks. Once she stepped into the room she didn't bother to change out of her work clothes and kept on her jeans and a zip-up hoodie to cover up her low cut t-shirt. She had enough of waiting for Punk to call and decided to call him herself. After the third ring the call went straight to voicemail, which meant he had purposely sent her call to voicemail. She didn't bother to try to hold back the tears realizing she had ruined the best relationship she had ever had over her own insecurities._

_About twenty minutes later there was a knock at her door and she tried to wipe her tears away before opening the door. Once she swung the door open there was a man holding a large bouquet of flowers as a matter of fact the bouquet was so big it was covering his face._

_"Floral delivery" the man said_

_"You must have the wrong room" AJ said starting to close the door_

_"Is your name Shorty?" the man asked causing AJ to look confused, he sent her flowers? But before she could respond the man lowered the floral arrangement and revealed his face "Hi shorty" Punk smiled_

_"Punk" she sighed throwing her arms around him_

_"Were you crying?" he asked holding her just a tight_

_"No…yes" AJ sighed_

_"As much as I love this hug can we move this inside before someone snaps a picture of me and puts it online and tells everyone I'm returning" Punk said with a laugh_

_"Yes" she said stepping in and grabbing him by his hand and closing the door "What are you doing here?"_

_"I wanted to send you flowers" Punk said handing her the orange and yellow roses "Then I realized I wanted to see your face when you got them so I decided to deliver them personally."_

_"They're beautiful" AJ smiled smelling the flowers_

_"Hey I'm pretty good at this maybe I should apply to some floral shops in Chicago" Punk teased lightly "Seriously I hated the way we left things off the other night I picked up the phone to call you at least a hundred times but I couldn't hit send."_

_"So you hopped on a plan to Texas?" AJ questioned_

_"I wanted to see you" Punk said to her_

_"To dump me in person?" AJ asked_

_"Dump you?" Punk mocked "One argument and you think I'm heading for the hills? It will take a lot more than that to get rid of me but I do agree this distance is a problem for us it's making things difficult"_

_"What are we going to do?" AJ frowned and Punk just grinned_

_"Move in with me" he said to her_

_"What?" AJ asked stunned. That was the last thing she was expecting to hear_

_"Move to Chicago with me." Punk told her simply as he plopped onto the bed and looked up to her "We'll get to be together a lot more and you mentioned your lease on your extremely small apartment is up a week before Wrestlemania, right?"_

_"Yea" AJ said still in shock by his offer_

_"So come live with me" Punk insisted "Unless you don't want to leave Tampa…"_

_"I love Chicago" AJ said quickly_

_"And you love me" Punk added "So why are you hesitating?"_

_"It's just I was pretty sure you were going to dump me" AJ said seriously "And I wasn't expecting this at all"_

_"I like to surprise you" Punk grinned "We can start packing this week and by the time Wrestlemania rolls around we should have all of your action figures packed up"_

_"Are you sure you want me there? We've never discussed living together" AJ questioned_

_"I think we'd be fine" Punk assured her "Come on, come to Chicago with me"_

_"Ok" AJ said smiling_

_"Yea?" Punk asked making sure_

_"Yea" AJ said placing the flowers on the table and moving to straddle him while he was sitting up "Let's celebrate" she said kissing him but he pulled away_

_"Let's talk first" Punk said causing her to pout "No that won't work this time" he warned "Suck that lip back in"_

_"Fine" she muttered_

_"What's been going on?" Punk asked looking her in the eye "Whose giving you a hard time? Is it Vince? Stephanie?"_

_"No actually Vince, Stephanie and even Hunter have gone out of their way to be nice to me" AJ assured him_

_"So it's the guys backstage" Punk frowned_

_"Just a few" AJ told him "Wade is having a lot of fun with this"_

_"I'm going to kick his teeth down his throat" Punk groaned "Unless Dave beats me to it"_

_"He was just being nice" AJ sighed "He hasn't hit on me or anything"_

_"Good because I'll kick his teeth down his throat too" Punk told her seriously_

_"You don't have to beat anyone up for me anyway because I slapped the taste out of Barrett myself" AJ told him proudly _

_"That's my girl" Punk smiled "So what did he say exactly to you? You mentioned offering to get back at me..."_

"It's not important" AJ sassured him "Like I said it was taken care of"

_"Ok and as for this stuff with Ronda it's nothing AJ. I told her all about you as a matter of fact she even felt bad about calling me hot thinking you'd get upset but I told her you weren't like that"_

_"Little did you know..." AJ muttered_

_"I have a history AJ and people are going to bring it up to you constantly. Yes I've cheated on women before and yes I've slept around a lot" Punk rambled off "But I would never do anything to jeopardize what we have. You're the real deal shorty. I love you. "_

_"I know and I love you" AJ said with a light smile keeping her eyes locked on his "It shouldn't have bothered me but-"_

_"But it bothered you anyway I get it" Punk said agreeing with her "Just like Dave jumping to defend you bothers me. That's my job and I hate that I can't be there for you and I will make it up to you I promise"_

_"It's not your job" AJ said to him but his eyes were serious_

_"Oh it is" Punk said seriously "I'm supposed to be traveling with you making sure you're eating right, I'm supposed to chase off all the annoying fans that approach you before shows, I'm supposed to keep you company and tell you how great you are. I'm also not supposed to let other guys harass you. That's my job and I'm failing miserably. Just because I'm not here doesn't mean I can't still do all of that"_

_"It is what it is" AJ shrugged "You're here now"_

_"I am" Punk agreed giving her a kiss when he pulled away again "What room is Wade in?"_

_"Why?" AJ asked with a sigh, he didn't need to get into a brawl with a WWE superstar right now_

_"Because I'm afraid I've got some bad news for him" Punk said seriously causing her to laugh_

_"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you" AJ said to him "You showing up here is risky enough as it is"_

_"I'm banned from hotels that are housing WWE superstars now?" Punk mocked "As long as you're still with the company I will show up wherever, whenever I want"_

_"People will talk" AJ said in a teasing_

_"People will talk regardless" Punk said lightly "I don't care"_

_"Speaking of talking can we stop talking?" AJ asked innocently "I've really missed you" she said wrapping her arms around his neck_

_"No more talking?" Punk asked confused "Whatever will we do the rest of the evening?"_

_"Stop teasing me" AJ warned kissing down his neck._

* * *

_The next morning Punk went unnoticed leaving the hotel and AJ changed her flight to a later one with Punk. She was able to fly with him back to Tampa and avoid the other superstars who were skipping to Smackdown as well. They headed back to Tampa together where Punk was anxious to start getting her packed._

_"We have some time" AJ laughed as Punk taped up some boxes "_

_You have to be back on the road by Monday work until Wednesday, you're off Thursday and Friday head back Saturday-Tuesday-" Punk reminded her_

_"And we have that entire weekend too" AJ reminded him trying to clam him down_

_"Actually that's your birthday weekend" Punk smirked_

_"You remembered" AJ smiled_

_"Of course I remembered" Punk laughed "And I have plans for your birthday"_

_"Really? What are they?" AJ asked happily_

_"It's a surprise" Punk said to her "Then we have just one more week before you're gone the entire week for Wrestlemania and by the point your lease will already be up so we need to be done the week before Wrestlemania"_

_"Ok" AJ smirked "I'm never here anyway I can pack it all up. But really you're in quit the rush" she laughed while he taped more boxes_

_"I want you packed before you change your mind" Punk said seriously_

_"You think I'll change my mind?" AJ laughed "No chance. But really you should be worried about making room for all of my stuff"_

_"I'll clear off some shelves for your toys and I barely use my closet so you can put all your shoes in there- done" Punk said simply_

_"They're not toys they're action figures" AJ said placing her hand on her hips._

_"I'm sorry you're right but can we put the ones of me in storage? I think it's weird" Punk said looking over towards her collection_

_"No way! Those are my favorites" AJ said in a shocked voice_

_"Why do you need the figures when you have the real deal?" Punk questioned_

_"I'll get rid of the figures if you get rid of the picture of me by your bed" AJ challenged_

_"Your Christmas gift to me? No way" Punk said not even giving it a second thought "I love that picture"_

_"But you have the real deal" AJ smirked using his own words_

_"Fine" Punk bit out_

_"The picture goes?" AJ asked happily_

_"No the toys can come" Punk said to her as AJ groaned "It's a great picture!" he defended_

_"I hate looking at pictures of myself you know that" AJ sighed moving around the living room_

_"That's crazy I could look at pictures of you all day and night" Punk said seriously as placed some of AJ's actions figures into a box "As a matter of fact since we've been apart so much that picture has really come in handy" he said then looked up at her and saw she wasn't amused "I'm not ashamed"_

_"I know" AJ sighed "Fine keep your picture"_

_"I was planning on it" Punk mumbled that's when AJ's phone started to ring_

_"Can you get that?" AJ asked from the kitchen. Punk reached over to the table and grabbed her phone and saw it was a private number so he decided to answer_

_"Hello?" he asked_

_"You're not AJ" the voice replied_

_"No I'm not" Punk responded_

_"Can I talk to AJ?" the voice asked_

_"Who wants to talk to her?" Punk asked annoyed_

_"Oh I should have known, hello Punk" the voice of Michael Hayes spoke "I haven't heard from you in a while"_

_"It's your lucky day" Punk remarked "Even though if I knew it was you I wouldn't have answered"_

_"You know Vince has been trying to get in touch with you" Michael informed Punk_

_"I'm not discussing this with you" Punk said to him "Here's AJ" he said then passed her the phone_

_"Hello?" AJ asked then shot Punk a glare who simply shrugged and continued packing "Oh well what does that mean?" she asked as Michael continued to ramble on "…oh no I'm not doing that" she said quickly and glanced over and saw Punk was watching her "…because that's not something I want to do" she said in a lower voice "…yes it's very flattering but-" she remained silent for a few more minutes "…I'm sorry but it's just something I wouldn't feel comfortable… of course I care about this job" she sighed looking up at the ceiling "…ok sure I'll think it over but I-" before she could finish her sentence Michael Hayes had hung up. AJ just placed the phone back down and looked over to Punk "Do you want pizza or Chinese?" she asked holding up menus_

_"You're really not going to tell me what that was about?" Punk asked with a laugh_

_"You don't want to know" AJ said annoyed walking to him and passing him the menus_

_"I kind of do" Punk retorted "What is that perverted genius trying to push you into doing?"_

_"Did you hear about the Maxim poll?" AJ questioned and then it clicked to Punk who let out a laugh_

_"Yea it may have been tweeted to me once or twice" Punk smirked. As a matter of fact the Maxim poll had been tweeted to Punk about hundred times over the past week but he just ignored all of it but he did know AJ won the poll by a large majority. "Don't tell me he asked you to do it"_

_"He did" AJ said taking a seat on the couch "They want to take pictures of me in a ring wearing underwear but in a classy way" she laughed at the idea_

_"And they think that's a good PG image?" Punk asked shaking his head_

_"They said turning it down would prove that I didn't really care about my job" AJ said to him "Wrestlemania is right around the corner I don't want them to take title from me"_

_"Do you want to do the photo shoot?" Punk asked her seriously_

_"No!" AJ said quickly "I'd rather lay in traffic"_

_"So don't do it" Punk told her simply "If they strip you of your belt for having morals then at least you know you lost the belt but not your self respect"_

_"Yea" AJ agreed lightly "Would you mind if I did it?" Punk arched a brow at her_

_"It would be your decision" Punk told her "Would I personally by a fan of it? No. I'd rather not have perverts drooling over photos of you in Maxim but I'd support you"_

_"It's so mortifying I don't even know why people voted for me" AJ remarked_

_"You need to realize you're hot" Punk said seriously_

_"I don't even wear makeup halftime" AJ reminded him_

_"You don't need makeup, you're what people call a 'natural beauty'" Punk said to her causing her to giggle_

_"Why thank you" she said to him "Still doesn't mean I'm going to pose for Maxim"_

_"Good" Punk said standing up and joining her on the couch "Because you're mine" he whispered into her ear "I don't want anyone else seeing what I only should see" he said seriously_

_"You love to throw that around, huh?" AJ smirked as Punk kissed her cheek_

_"Hmm?" Punk questioned_

_"I'm 'yours'" AJ said to him "Did you have problems with sharing growing up?"_

_"I did" he told her with a nod "When I love something or someone I never let them go. I've stuck my claim in you months ago and there's no way out for you." He told her_

_"Is that what you call it? 'Claim'?" she asked as Punk laughed loud at the innuendo_

_"I'll tell you what you can call it whatever you want" Punk said to her kissing her neck "I'm yours-"_

_"Like I'm yours?" AJ asked as he just nodded and continued to kiss down her neck while his hand moved to her thigh "Food first" AJ said pulling away "And since you didn't decide I'm going with pizza" she said standing up with the menu and grabbing the phone._

_Punk smiled as she walked into the next room and reached into his pocket and pulled out the small velvet box and opened it to reveal a diamond ring._

_"You're going to be mine" Punk said to the ring that he had bought over a week ago. He quickly closed the box because now wasn't the time he wanted to make this special for her and wait for her Birthday weekend which he had all planned out. He was indeed a changed man, but changed in a better way and he owed it all to her._


	10. The Best Night

**Part X: The Best Night**

* * *

AJ's nerves were starting to completely disappear as she glanced at the clock and saw she had twenty minutes left. The more and more she thought about these memories and special moments the more sure she was about marrying Punk. He had a lot of tattoos sure and could he be difficult at times? Yes. But he was exactly the type of guy your mother would want you to bring home. He was polite, respectful, loved her completely, never raised a hand to her, didn't drink, didn't smoke, picked up every tab, protected her and spoiled her beyond her needs. Yes, CM Punk was a man that most women would kill for. She was truly the luckiest the woman on this planet and wasn't sure she could wait another twenty minutes to make it official.

_AJ was really exhausted she had been working like crazy with Wrestlemania being only three weeks away and she had just found out she would be wrestling every single on the roster. That was something she was not looking forward to. Sure most people would see it was 'at least they're fitting everyone into the match so everyone can have their moment' but that didn't sit well with AJ. She had been the champion for months now and had worked her butt off and wanted to have a match where all eyes would be on her and her opponent which if it couldn't be Trinity she was hoping on Tamina getting shot. The total divas were thrilled with this since it would also be filmed for the show (which was probably the only reason for this ridiculous match). Why she had to share her moment with women who got to be on E every Sunday night was not fair to AJ but she didn't want to complain about it and risk being pulled from the match._

_While she wasn't working and doing appearances she was back in Tampa packing up and thankfully Punk was there too helping her with everything and which she was so grateful for. This weekend was her Birthday weekend so she was exciting for what Punk had planned. She knew her parents were flying down and they were going to have dinner with her and Punk but after that she was left in the dark. The only thing she wasn't happy about was having to cut this weekend short since the 'Scooby-Doo' premiere was on Sunday and she had to attend but at least they gave her Saturday off to enjoy her birthday. Once she arrived back at her Tampa home Punk was already there and AJ was in shock. _

"_Oh my god" AJ said stunned "How did you get all of this done?" she asked noting all the boxes _

"_I have a lot of free time" Punk said seriously "And tomorrow someone is coming to pick up a few boxes to have them shipped to Chicago so it will be there by time you get back from New Orleans then next week we'll drop off your other stuff in storage and ship out the rest then you won't have to fly back out here again" he said relieved _

"_You're the best" AJ said with a weak smile _

"_Consider it to be part of your birthday gift" Punk said to her giving her a quick kiss "Speaking of, Happy Birthday shorty" _

"_Thank you" she replied pulling away from his kiss "What time are we having dinner tonight?" she asked Punk _

"_We're meeting your parents at 7" Punk told her _

"_Did they even get in yet?" AJ asked confused, Punk frowned because she looked like she was sleepwalking and he knew what toll this traveling was taking on her. _

"_Yes this morning and they waited for my flight to get in and I took them to breakfast and escorted them to their hotel" Punk told her proudly causing her to smile_

"_You took my parents out for breakfast?" AJ questioned and he nodded "That was so sweet"_

"_They love me" Punk said to her seriously "I don't mean to brag or anything-"_

"_Yes you do" AJ smirked "How could they not love you?"_

"_That's what I'm saying" Punk teased _

"_So what did you guys talk about?" AJ questioned and realized she caught Punk off guard with the question _

"_They told me all stories about you as a kid" Punk said to her causing her to roll her eyes "You and I would have been great friends when we were younger"_

"_How much did they embarrass me?" AJ asked seriously _

"_Not much" Punk assured her "You have about three hours to spare so I suggest you use that free time to nap because you my dear look like a zombie"_

"_You don't think I look pretty?" she frowned _

"_You're the prettiest zombie I have ever seen" Punk assured her _

"_Come with me" she asked grabbing a hold of his hand "If you're holding me I'll fall asleep quicker"_

"_It's your birthday, whatever you want" Punk smirked as he let AJ lead him into her bedroom_

* * *

_Punk and AJ arrived to the restaurant a little late and AJ's parents were already there waiting for the young couple. Her parents who insisted on treating her and Punk to a nice fancy dinner picked the restaurant. Something neither were fans of but her parents wanted to do something nice for them. They arrived hand in hand and met her parents at a small table in the back of the candlelit restaurant. _

"_Hi mom" AJ said as her mom stood up and hugged her then hugged her father "Hey Dad"_

"_Happy Birthday baby" her mother beamed _

"_Sorry we're late but I fell asleep" AJ said as Punk pulled out her chair for her and sat after she did_

"_You look very tired" her father frowned "You've been nonstop for weeks now"_

"_I know but it should all calm down after Wrestelmania" AJ told them _

"_A few weeks after that you'll have the UK tour" Punk added "It will all just start up again"_

"_Don't remind me" AJ muttered sipping on a glass of water_

"_I love your dress" her mother beamed at AJ's modest blue dress _

"_Thanks" AJ said to her _

"_So your father isn't going to make it to Wrestlemania this year he has to get back to work" Her mother started off and AJ just nodded "But I'll be there" she promised and AJ smiled. She knew Wrestlemania would be tough with Punk or Celeste so having her mother there would really fill that void _

"_If you're busy-" AJ started_

"_-too busy to see my daughter beat every single woman in the company? Never" her mother said with a laugh _

"_So what is the deal with that are you going to win?" her father asked_

"_I can't discuss that" AJ said with a chuckle _

"_We can all keep a secret" her father said _

"_I pinky promise not to say a thing" Punk added causing her to crack a smile while her parents marveled at how the simplest words from Punk made their daughter beam _

"_I don't know" AJ admitted "They probably won't know until the day of and even with that they'll probably change their minds tens times"_

"_You deserve to win" her mother said with an angry face. She took her daughter's stories very seriously "They made you kiss different guys the last few years like you were some kind of piece of meat, you deserve to walk in and out champion"_

"_I agree a hundred percent" Punk said seriously _

"_Like I said nothing is set in stone and they don't even know what the rules of the match is" AJ noted "I think they just want to see everyone kick the crap out of me" she smirked_

"_Are you still fighting with those girls?" her mother frowned causing Punk to jerk his head towards her mother "I mean it's crazy that they're picking on you that way. I thought you told me your boss was going to handle it"_

"_Who are you fighting with?" Punk asked AJ as she shot a glare towards her mother_

"_Sorry" her mother muttered nervously before sipping on her drink_

"_I got into an argument with a couple of the girls last week" AJ told him "Brie and Nikki think I'm bashing their show, Nattie thought I made her look bad during our match on Main-Event and last Monday they thought it would be fun to confront me as a group and scream at me" Punk frowned at the story "It wasn't a big deal but it got a little out of hand. Michael Hayes ended up getting involved but really just made everything ten times worse. Long story short I got my own dressing this week" AJ said with a smile _

"_You didn't mention this" Punk said a little upset AJ kept this from him _

"_I was going to tell you but honestly it wasn't a big deal" AJ assured him honestly "I don't care and like I said I now have my own dressing room. That was Vince and Stephanie's way of fixing it." She smirked _

"_I don't understand why those girls are always picking on you interviews and backstage" Her father said to her _

"_Me either" Punk mumbled sipping his water_

"_It's a woman thing" AJ told them "I have what they want and when I eventually drop the belt they'll move on to bashing someone else" _

"_They better be respectful while I'm around" her mother warned "Or I will not hesitate to slap them all" her comment caused Punk to laugh because he knew her mother was dead serious _

"_I don't want to talk about it anymore" AJ informed the three of them "This is my day and I decide what we discuss" _

"_Can we discuss your move to Chicago?" her mother asked with a smile "Phil showed us pictures and his home is beautiful"_

"_It'll be our home in two weeks" Punk added with a grin _

"_Phil?" AJ asked looking at Punk. She thought it was adorable that he insisted her parents call him 'Phil'. _

"_That is my name" Punk reminded her _

"_Yes it is beautiful and I'm so excited to not have to live in hot weather all year round" AJ told her parents "His closet is the size of our old place in Jersey"_

"_I bet" AJ's father smirked "I like him April" he said pointing his finger towards Punk "He's much better than those other ones"_

"_Did Punk ask you to say that?" AJ asked her father seriously _

"_No he did not" Her father confirmed "He's a good guy you got"_

"_Thanks" Punk smiled smugly _

"_This is my birthday we should be complementing me" AJ reminded her parents as she sipped on her water _

"_Before we change the subject to just completely on the birthday girl I will say I think you two would have beautiful children" her mother said causing AJ to choke on her drink. Punk remained calm and nodded in agreement _

"_You don't agree?" Punk asked AJ _

"_Mom" AJ hissed "You're embarrassing me"_

"_Am I embarrassing her?" her mother asked Punk _

"_Not at all, please continue" Punk insisted _

"_Where is Erica?" AJ asked noticing her sister wasn't here _

"_She didn't want to be a fifth wheel" Her mother smirked "I told her she was nuts but she said she'd see you tomorrow"_

"_So back to me…" Punk started with a smile_

* * *

_The dinner went great and thankfully AJ and Punk were back at her place before 10pm, which she was relieved about. She still hadn't caught up on her sleep. _

"_So do you want your gift now our are you too tired?" Punk asked as AJ put her key in the door. _

"_What kind of question is that?" AJ mocked "I'm never too tired for presents" with that said she opened the door but stopped in the doorway. "What is all this?" she asked looking around the almost empty apartment. There were candles all over the place, at least a hundred of them on the floor and speaking of the floor they were littered with rose pedals. "How did you do this?"_

"_I'm a man of many talents" Punk smirked as they stepped inside and he closed and locked the door "And your sister helped out" _

"_This is amazing" AJ said in awe as she made her way into the living room where there was a sheet with pillows and a dish of chocolate covered strawberries. "It's like something you see you on TV" _

"_Where do you think I got the idea from?" Punk asked seriously. In the corner of the living room there were over ten boxes wrapped perfectly _

"_Those are all for me?" AJ asked with widened eyes _

"_Yup" Punk nodded "Go open your gifts" he encouraged but before he even finished the sentence she was already in the corner ripping off the paper. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning. The boxes contained video games, some DVD's and even a new leather jacket. _

"_I love them all" AJ said happily "But this was way too much" she said to him "I mean you really spent way too much on me."_

"_Oh please" Punk mocked "I'm still getting paid by Vince it's all good" he reminded her "Here" he said sitting on the blanket and offering her a strawberry "It's like birthday cake but slightly healthier" AJ just smiled and walked over to him and took a seat in his lap. She didn't take the strawberry from him but took a large bite out of it while he held it out to her _

"_Mmm" she hummed "So good" she said then turned her neck to pull him into a slow and sensual kiss "Thank you baby" she whispered against his mouth nuzzling her nose against his _

"_I have one more thing for you" Punk whispered into her ear _

"_What else could you possibly have for me?" AJ asked as she took another bite out of the strawberry and her lips managed to taste the tips of his fingers with that bite "This is enough"_

"_This is the main gift" Punk said to her as he placed the strawberry down "Actually it's more of a gift for me"_

"_Now I'm intrigued" AJ said happily resting the back of her head against his chest _

"_AJ" Punk started "I want you to marry me" he whispered into her ear. She was again in shock and if she hadn't felt his breath against her ear she would have thought she was hearing things. A moment later a large diamond ring was slipped onto her engagement finger "Will you marry me?" he asked kissing her cheek lightly _

"_Oh my god" AJ said in shock lifting her hand and now she knew this wasn't a dream even though it all seemed to good to be true. A tear rolled down her cheek_

"_Yes" she said looking at the ring then turned her head to face him_

"_You like it?" he asked her _

"_It's perfect" AJ said looking down at the ring one more time "It's so beautiful this entire night is" _

"_I think you're beautiful" Punk told her honestly but that was the last sentence he got out before AJ pulled him into a kiss and further down onto the floor…_

_The next morning AJ woke up on the living room floor wrapped in one of the sheets that were there with her head resting on Punk's bare chest. He was out cold but she didn't want to be awake alone and kissed his chest until he woke up. _

"_Morning" Punk smirked looking down at AJ _

"_Good morning fiancé" AJ grinned moving so her hand was propping her head up and she was face to face with him _

"_I like the sound of that" Punk smirked taking her left hand and kissing the ring "So you had a good night?"_

"_Best night of my life" AJ confirmed_

"_Mine too" Punk said locking his fingers with hers _

"_How did you pull this all off?" AJ asked seriously _

"_I asked your sister to help" Punk reminded her _

"_Did my parents know?" AJ asked and Punk nodded "So that's why you took them to breakfast to break the news that you were taking away their favorite child"_

"_Actually I called your father when I picked up the ring a few weeks ago" Punk said to her "His exact words were 'thank god take her off of our hands!'" he teased _

"_Lies" AJ laughed _

"_No he didn't use those exact words but he did give me his permission to ask you" Punk told her _

"_You asked for permission? What a rebel" AJ teased _

"_I'm a respectful man ok" Punk defended lightly "But I would have asked you regardless if that makes you think I'm cool"_

"_Did you pick this out yourself" AJ asked admiring the ring with his hand still locked with hers _

"_I did" Punk confirmed "I did good?"_

"_You did great" AJ corrected "It's so beautiful and looks like it cost you a fortune"_

"_Don't worry about that. I wanted you to have the best" Punk said to her "You deserve nothing less"_

"_Just when I think you can't surprise me anymore you always do" AJ said glowing _

"_They might give you a hard time at work" Punk noted "I know with Mania' coming up you might not want to go public yet" _

"_I think showing up at the red carpet with a ring on my hand Sunday would drive Stephanie and Hunter crazy" AJ noted "I should do it"_

"_Don't get yourself in trouble" Punk encouraged "Get through Mania' then we'll deal with them"_

"_Do you not want me to say anything?" AJ asked with a serious face "I know you like to keep your relationships private-"_

"_I'm proud to marry you and I'll shout it from the rooftops" Punk said seriously "But you've been tortured enough backstage I don't want to add fuel to the fire" _

"_I guess you're right" AJ groaned collapsing onto the floor and looking up at the ceiling "This sucks"_

"_Hey none of that" Punk said rolling over so he was hovering above her "We'll play it by ear this week"_

"_I want time off" AJ said out of nowhere _

"_So ask for time off" Punk told her simply "You've earned it"_

"_So did you and they never gave it to you" AJ reminded him_

"_They want to make me happy and they know what makes me happy" Punk told her_

"_What makes you happy?" AJ asked_

"_You" he told her with a smile "Tell them you want time off maybe tell just Stephanie you're getting married and want time to plan the wedding" _

"_If I tell her I'm planning a wedding we're going to have to actually get married in that time" AJ said to him with a laugh but he kept a serious face_

"_So?" Punk asked_

"_They're not going to give me much time" AJ reminded him "One month maybe two if I'm lucky" AJ said to him _

"_I don't see the issue" Punk said to her _

"_If and I mean a big IF they let me take time off after Wrestlemania we'd have to get married in May or June" she said to him and he nodded "You want to marry me that quickly?"_

"_I'd marry you today" Punk told her honestly _

"_Ok" AJ said with a smile_

"_You'll marry me today?" Punk asked hopefully_

"_No" she giggled "I'll ask for the time and we'll get married as soon as I get it"_

"_Good" he said leaning down to kiss her lips "And you decide how you want to handle going public with this."_

"_I want everyone to know" AJ said seriously "It's just I have to talk to Vince and Stephanie first" _

"_Good idea" Punk smirked leaning down to kiss her again_

* * *

_AJ arrived for the premiere of the Scooby-Doo film that following Sunday and opted to not wear her ring. First reason being she didn't want to be asked about it on the red carpet and the second she hadn't gotten around to telling upper management. She didn't care what they thought but they did have a right to know. Once they walked the red carpet the small group was ushered inside and waited before taking their seats for the film. AJ watched Stephanie and Hunter laugh together and wasn't sure when the appropriate time to approach them was. _

"_AJ" Stephanie said waving her over to the two with a smile. AJ forced a smile and headed over to them. "How was your birthday?" she questioned _

"_It was really great thanks" AJ said politely _

"_Are you ok?" Stephanie frowned "You seem quiet today"_

"_There is something I wanted to talk to you about but this really isn't the place" AJ said nervously _

"_Are you having more issues backstage?" Hunter asked "We thought Hayes took care of that"_

"_He did it's not that" AJ said to them as they both waited for her to speak "I'm getting married" she could tell both were surprised and forced smiles on their faces_

"_Congratulations" Hunter managed to get out_

"_Yes congrats AJ it's wonderful news" Stephanie forced out. Both were still angry with Punk so she wasn't expecting much more than that. _

"_Thanks" AJ said tucking some of her hair behind her ear "I know it's bad timing but after Wrestlemania I was wondering to get some time off"_

"_You're going to get married after Wrestelmania?" Stephanie asked politely "That's awfully quick"_

"_We were thinking more of a June wedding" AJ said with a smile "But I'm moving to Chicago in two weeks and it would be nice to settle down and plan some things out"_

"_We didn't realize you were moving to Chicago" Hunter noted_

"_I know how you all feel about him so I don't really talk much about our plans" AJ said to them_

"_We're not pleased with him" Stephanie confirmed "But you're one of our stars you've done an amazing job this past year and if you want time off it shouldn't be a problem. You deserve to have a nice wedding" _

"_Yea absolutely" Hunter agreed "We need to talk to Vince first but we'll figure it out"_

"_Thank you" she said with a wide smile _

"_No problem" Hunter grinned as AJ walked away she heard Stephanie call her name _

"_Yes?" AJ asked as Stephanie approached her _

"_You're not wearing the ring" Stephanie noted _

"_Oh I didn't want to take attention away from Wrestlemania" AJ said to her then reached into her bag and pulled it out _

"_Wow" Stephanie said with a big smile "This is beautiful" _

"_Thanks" AJ said as she watched Stephanie admire the ring_

"_He did good" Stephanie said handing her the ring "And thank you for keeping it quiet and we'd never ask you to do that but it is appreciated" _

"_Of course" AJ assured her_

* * *

_AJ was very happy by how well Stephanie and Hunter took the news of her engagement so well and the following week she was back in Tampa with Punk packing up since she needed to be officially moved out by next Sunday, which was Wrestlemania. _

"_So they haven't mentioned when they're giving you this time off?" Punk asked as they finished packing up the few things left in her apartment _

"_No" AJ frowned "I'm surprised they haven't talked to me about it yet"_

"_Maybe they're not going to give it to you" Punk suggested as AJ looked over to him_

"_Do you really think they would do that?" AJ frowned "They seemed ok with it"_

"_Don't trust any of them AJ" Punk warned _

"_Well I told them a June wedding" AJ said to him_

"_So they'll probably ask what week the wedding is and just give you off the weekend" Punk muttered_

"_That won't work I have to plan and get a dress-" AJ said starting to feel overwhelmed _

"_We'll work it out" Punk assured her "Lucky for you I don't have a job"_

"_Ah every woman's dream" AJ teased lightly "But no offense I don't want to get married in Blackhawks colors" _

"_Darn" Punk muttered _

"_I'm supposed to be getting a call from creative today and they're going to go over the Wrestlemania match with me and if I'm dropping the title I'm sure that will be answer to if they're giving me the time" AJ said to him _

"_Are you ready to drop it?" Punk asked_

"_I've beaten the record" AJ said to him "And let's be honest I've never gotten a good rivalry once Celeste left"_

"_True" Punk agreed "Who would you want to drop the belt to?"_

"_Trinity" AJ said without hesitation "She deserves it more than anyone"_

"_So after Wrestelmania you're going to start wearing your ring?" Punk asked_

"_I'm wearing it right now" AJ said holding up her hand proudly _

"_I mean publicly" Punk corrected _

"_Of course." AJ said with a smile "I just don't want to piss off the wrong people because then I'll be told I'm dropping my belt to Rosa or Nikki"_

"_Good point" Punk agreed _

_About an hour later Punk and AJ were finished packing finally and now they just had to wait for the boxes to be picked up. _

"_So this is my last night in this place" AJ said looking around it _

"_Going to miss it?" Punk asked seriously _

"_A little. This was my first place on my own" AJ said proudly "And I had some good memories here"_

"_Please don't say that because I know Trent lived with you here" Punk said with a disgusted face_

"_He lived her with me for about 2 months" AJ smirked "And I'm talking about how you proposed to me here"_

"_Yea that was a good memory" Punk agreed walking over to her and pulling her close "Then we made love on the floor all night long" he reminded her as he kissed her cheek _

"_I know it was two weeks ago" AJ teased as she felt Punk's hand wander underneath her t-shirt and let his fingertips brush down her spine _

"_We should-" Punk stopped when AJ's phone started to ring "Do not get that" Punk holding onto her _

"_What if it's work?" AJ asked reaching over to the counter to grab her phone but still stayed in Punk's grasp "It is" She said to him as she answered but that didn't stop Punk from kissing down her neck "Stop" she laughed quietly "Hello?" she asked into the phone. She was trying to concentrate on the phone call from her boss but Punk was proving to be very distracting "…ok yea" she slapped Punk's hand away that had moved to the front of her jeans trying to unbutton them "…I thought Trinity…wait what?" she asked alarmed and fully pulled away from Punk causing him to groan "that's ridiculous!" AJ had never gotten mad or yelled at a creative member or a boss before so whatever was being discussed must have been bad "…does Vince know about this? Well maybe you should because that's outrageous!… So this is a punishment?" she questioned causing Punk to frown "…no, no I don't need to calm down you need to go back to the drawing board!" with that said she hung up her phone and slammed it on the counter _

"_Was that about your match?" Punk asked_

"_Yea and I am getting my time away" AJ informed him "But they want me to drop the title at Mania and then show up on Monday and quit. Which is fine I don't mind any of that but who they want me to drop the title to is outrageous and I won't do it!"_

"_Woah, calm down shorty" Punk insisted grabbing her wrist and walking her over to the couch "Who do they want you to drop the belt to?"_

"_Eva Marie!" AJ shouted _

"_Who is that?" Punk asked _

"_You know the red head from Total Divas" AJ groaned _

"_The one who can't wrestle or talk?" Punk asked and AJ nodded "Whose idea was that?"_

"_Hayes" AJ said shooting Punk a glare _

"_Why would they put the belt on her?" Punk asked_

"_Because she's a 'team player' and it would be shocking and that's the theme they want for this year" AJ said to him "She's supposed to get a quick rollup on me. I've been champion for almost a year and that's how they're going to take the belt from me!?"_

"_They're pissed you asked for time off" Punk said to her shaking his head "Don't give them any reason to punish you more just do what they say" he suggested_

"_Do what they say? Would you do what they say?" AJ asked_

"_No but the difference is and I don't agree with it- but I'm a male and made a lot more money than you, you they can push around until you quit or they'll just fire you" Punk said to her "I'm not there to make sure that doesn't happen so just do what they say or they'll pull you from Mania all together" _

"_I don't care. I don't want the moment at all if that's what it's going to be" AJ insisted "I've been so good to them. I've done everything they have asked and never complained once and this is how I'm being thanked?"_

"_They're idiots" Punk said seriously "And this is why I left"_

"_This is going to suck" AJ frowned _

"_I know but you're a professional and you're going to make it great" Punk said to her _

"_Ugh" AJ groaned resting her head on Punk's lap "Can you come to New Orleans and park outside the stadium in case I decide to run with the belt?"_

"_I would if I could shorty" Punk sighed, he hated not being able to support her on Sunday "I'll be watching though and you'll kick ass. You can make any match good"_

* * *

_The next morning Punk and AJ arrived at the airport, she was heading to Raw and Punk was heading to Chicago. _

"_You better take that off before someone spots you" Punk said nodding towards her ring_

"_I don't think so" AJ said calmly looking down at the ring "I might even wear it on Monday"_

"_You realize that they're not going to like that" Punk pointed out but she just shrugged. That's when Punk headed to the counter to pick up his ticket. _

"_Hey AJ" a familiar young man said who worked at the airport "I'm looking forward to your match at Mania, I'm flying down to go"_

"_Oh cool" AJ said politely "This is going to be my last time flying out here so thanks for always helping me out here" she said to the worker who always took care of her _

"_Really?" the young man questioned "You're moving?"_

"_Yea to Chicago" she told him loud enough for Punk to hear who turned his head and glanced at AJ "I'm getting married too" she added proudly causing Punk to smile then turn his attention back to the woman at the desk_

"_To Phil?" the man asked _

"_Yea" she said flashing her ring _

"_Wow congratulations!" the man said happily "And good luck Sunday"_

"_Thanks" AJ smiled as the man walked away and Punk walked back over_

"_What are you doing?" Punk asked her _

"_I've decided I don't want to hide our engagement anymore" AJ shrugged simply _

"_You've got a very spiteful side to you" Punk noted with a grin "I like it"_

"_How is telling a very nice fan I'm getting married being spiteful?" AJ questioned_

"_As soon as he walked away he snapped a photo of you" Punk said to her "How much do you want to bet everything you said is being reported on Twitter right now?" AJ just shrugged with a smile "It's Wrestlemania weekend and people are going to be talking about you rather than the other Divas…you're a genius" he said proudly _

"_Thank you I've learned from the Best in the World" she said giving him full credit_

* * *

_Once AJ arrived at Raw everyone was buzzing backstage. Punk was right the fan posted the information and there were a few who didn't believe but AJ would put all that to rest tonight anyway. _

"_Hey AJ" Trinity said jogging towards AJ who was heading into her private locker room "Is it true?" she asked _

"_Is what true?" AJ asked_

"_It's all over the internet, did Punk ask you to marry him?" Trinity questioned_

"_He certainly did" AJ said showing her left hand_

"_Holy crap! What a rock!" Trinity said loudly admiring the ring "It's huge!" _

"_Yea" AJ said proudly _

"_When did this happen?" Trinity asked_

"_On my birthday" AJ told her  
"Congratulations AJ" Trinity said giving her a hug "I wish you two the best"_

"_Thanks Trin" AJ said to her _

"_I wonder how Vince and Steph are handling this news" Trinity said to her "I'm sure the last thing they want is news about Punk leaking a few days before Wrestelmania"_

"_They knew already" AJ told her "I don't really care what they think"_

"_AJ" Michael Hayes said "I need a word- now" he said hastily opening her locker room door _

"_I'll see you later Trin" AJ said _

"_Yea see you AJ" Trinity said to her as AJ headed inside with Michael_

"_What the hell are you doing?" Michael questioned _

"_Excuse me?" AJ asked innocently _

"_We agreed this news would be kept quiet" Michael reminded her "You couldn't hold out for a few more days!"_

"_We didn't agree on anything" AJ shot back _

"_Did Punk suggest you do this?" Michael questioned "Is this his way of staying in the spotlight or did he give you tips on how to stick to us?"_

"_Punk has nothing to do with this" AJ told him coolly_

"_The hell he doesn't!" Michael shouted_

"_That's enough" Stephanie said entering the locker room "What are you yelling about?" _

"_She went public with her engagement" Michael said to her _

"_I know I read it online" Stephanie said to him "It's her personal life"_

"_She's doing this because she didn't like the finish to her match on Sunday" Michael argued _

"_We haven't decided on the finish yet" Stephanie said confused _

"_He told me Eva was going to get the title" AJ said causing Stephanie to smile _

"_That was an idea" Stephanie said to AJ "But it wasn't set in stone"_

"_If she drops the belt Sunday people are going to accuse us of punishing her" Michael pointed out _

"_You let me worry about that" Stephanie said to him "You can go now Michael" she said opening the door for Michael to leave which he did _

"_I'm not apologizing" AJ said to Stephanie _

"_I didn't ask you to" Stephanie said to her "But it was really sneaky what you did. Is this how it's going to be? You don't get your way so you cause a stir online?"_

"_That's not what it was about" AJ said to her _

"_Look AJ I know none of this has been easy on you and you're being pulled in two different directions" Stephanie frowned "You're not dropping the belt to Eva or any of the girls on Sunday"_

"_So I'm not getting the time off?" AJ frowned _

"_We wouldn't do that to you" Stephanie promised "Monday night is the biggest Raw of the year and we're calling up Paige. You'll drop the belt than" _

"_How much time do I have?" AJ asked_

"_As much as you need" Stephanie insisted "We want you to take this time and settle into your new life and when you're ready come back. We want you to come back"_

"_I will" AJ promised _

"_We're keeping this quiet we think Paige will get a strong reaction Monday so can you try to at least keep this quiet? Obviously not even Michael knows" Stephanie said to her and AJ nodded_

"_Of course" AJ promised "Thank you Stephanie"_

"_Thank you for giving that belt meaning again" Stephanie replied then walked out of her locker room._

* * *

AJ had a great night that Raw. Sure she lost her match but she wore her ring proud and she knew a lot of the girls weren't happy with AJ stealing their thunder but that made it all that much better. AJ had called Punk right after Stephanie left and informed him that she'd be back home for good on Tuesday. He was thrilled and with all the excitement in her life AJ didn't even give any thought to Wrestlemania weekend and who she would be bumping into such as Punk's most recent ex-girlfriend who was being inducted into the Hall Of Fame…


	11. Wrestlemania Moment

**Part XII: Wrestelmania Moment**

* * *

AJ looked over the clock and now she was only fifteen minutes away from heading down the aisle. Looking back at everything it was almost as if things fell into place for them over the past year. Everything that had happened to one of them lead them to this moment. The weekend of Wrestlemania was the last week they'd be apart and it was probably the most challenging for her.

_AJ had spent most of the Wrestelmania weekend in her room and waited on her mother to fly down. She didn't really hang out with rest of the roster but had mad plans with Celeste who would be in town doing a convention. She also volunteered to do a signing during the Hall of Fame specifically to avoid Amy Dumas aka Lita. She wasn't sure what Amy's feelings were towards her or how her and Punk and left off. AJ and Punk had gotten together so quickly after he broke up with Amy people had insisted he cheated on her, which wasn't technically true. The first time they slept together her and Punk were on a break but they did share that one kiss at the beach while they were still official but that wasn't really cheating, was it?_

_AJ decided to head down to the hotel gym to kill some time and she knew it wouldn't be busy since most of the superstars were out for the evening. Once she arrived she inwardly cringed at the sight of the one person she was looking to avoid: Amy Dumas. She was there with a few guys working out. AJ would have turned around and left except she had already been spotted since the gym was empty. She offered a faint smile then headed over to the treadmill, which she hated to use, but Amy was occupying the weights. _

"_Hey AJ" Amy said walking over to her. The greeting was friendly but the tone was cold. _

"_Hi Amy" AJ forced a smile. She had known the woman pretty well but they were never really 'friends' "Congratulations on your induction"_

"_Thanks long overdue I think" Amy remarked "Better late than never I suppose"_

"_I agree" AJ said holding her smile _

"_I suppose I should be congratulating you as well" Amy said folding her arms and locking her eyes onto AJ's massive ring "I never thought Phil would bite the bullet"_

"_Thanks" AJ replied politely_

"_I have to ask because it's been eating at me since August- did Punk cheat on me with you?" Amy asked bluntly _

"_Amy-" AJ started_

"_Don't give me the bambi eyes AJ" Amy said cutting her off "I have a right to know"_

"_You do" AJ agreed "I just don't think this is the time and place for that" _

"_So I guess that answers my question" Amy said with a bitter smile and to AJ it looked like the older woman was holding back tears _

"_It wasn't like that" AJ insisted not wanting to upset her former idol _

"_What was it like?" Amy asked "You know I want him to be happy because I love him that much and if you make him happy then so be it but this is supposed to be my big weekend and I didn't want this thrown in my face"_

"_I'm sorry if this is upsetting to you" AJ offered, she wasn't sure what to really say to the woman _

"_I'm not going to claw your eyes out AJ because I'm an adult and I'm not perfect either" Amy said to her "Instead I am going to be the bigger person and wish you and Phil the best together"_

"_Thank you" AJ managed out nervously _

"_But I hope you'll understand that I don't want you at the Hall of Fame" Amy said to her. Of course AJ wouldn't be there anyway but the fact that Amy was insisting on her not being there stung a bit "I don't want people watching you, watching me. I don't want you or him associated with me anymore. I can barely go on my Twitter anymore because of it so please if you are going don't sit out there while I'm inducted"_

"_I wasn't planning on attending" AJ told her quietly "I wouldn't want to taint your night"_

"_Great" Amy said "Give Phil my best" she said to AJ then turned around_

* * *

_An hour later AJ was back up in her room waiting on room service when Punk had called her._

"_How's it going shorty?" Punk asked her _

"_It's going" AJ said to him "I just bumped into Amy as a matter of fact"_

"_How did that go?" Punk asked not sure he even wanted to know_

"_She was ok" AJ said unsurely "She congratulated me, asked if you cheated on her with me then asked me not to attend the Hall of Fame"_

"_I'm sorry shorty" Punk sighed "She shouldn't have done that"_

"_It's fine I understand" AJ said to him "She sends you her best by the way"_

"_Gee thanks" Punk laughed "I'm kind of glad I'm not there"_

"_Thanks" AJ mocked "Maybe I'll luck out and bump into Beth and Maria too"_

"_Ah they're over it" Punk said brushing off her fears "So what are your plans for this evening"_

"_Room service" AJ smirked_

"_You're not meeting up with Celeste?" Punk asked_

"_Not tonight tomorrow" AJ said to him _

"_Colt and Cliff are down there too" Punk said to her_

"_Oh I don't think I'm going to have dinner with them" AJ laughed "They'll probably end up at a strip joint and get me in a lot of trouble"_

"_Good point" Punk said to her "Are you getting nervous yet?"_

"_Not at all." AJ said to him "I'm anxious and want it over with. I just want to be home in Chicago with you"_

"_Home and Chicago in one sentence coming from you, I like it" Punk said happily "Some of your stuff arrived by the way"_

"_Good" AJ sighed "By the way did you say something to Wade?"_

"_Who?" Punk asked innocently _

"_Punk" AJ warned_

"_When would I get a chance to see him?" Punk asked "Why? Is he giving you a hard time again?"_

"_Actually he's been avoiding me" AJ informed him "He turns away if I'm walking down the hall, he avoids all eye contact and I haven't received one snide comment from him in weeks"_

"_That's weird" Punk remarked "He must have realized he was acting like a jackass"_

"_Yea or someone told him he was" AJ offered_

"_I don't know what you're implying" Punk said to her casually "I've been behaving myself…but I did speak to Paul about him after your last encounter with him"_

"_Having people do your dirty work" AJ giggled _

"_If Paul repeated what I would hypothetically do to Wade if I heard he made any sort of sexual or rude comment to you I can't control that" Punk told her completely innocently _

"_And what would you do to him?" AJ was very curious as to what was said to Wade_

"_I really don't remember" Punk lied "Something about a show and a parking lot…a lot of blood- I really can't recall" _

"_You better hope he doesn't go to Hunter with this or worse the cops" AJ said. He couldn't just threaten people, especially since the company wouldn't be able to back him up. _

"_I'm not worried about any of that" Punk told her "When is your mother flying down?"_

"_Thursday" AJ told him "I have to keep her away from Nikki and Brie's mom she wants to tell her that her daughters should be nicer to me" she laughed_

"_They should be nicer" Punk said to her "Any other issues with that"_

"_Well none of them congratulated me" AJ shrugged "I wasn't expecting it so that's fine."_

"_They're just jealous" Punk said to her "You have the belt and you nailed down the hottest bachelor"_

"_Wow you're cocky tonight" AJ laughed "And what are you doing tonight?"_

"_Watching Hockey. All of my favorite people are in New Orleans so it's just me and your picture tonight" he told her seriously _

"_Eww" AJ laughed _

"_I told you I love that picture" Punk said to her _

"_Yea, yea" AJ muttered "I miss your face" she told him causing him to laugh _

"_You don't have any pictures of me?" Punk asked offended _

"_It's not the same" AJ sighed "I just want this week to fly"_

"_Try to enjoy it" Punk insisted "Just a few more days then you'll be back with me missing work"_

"_This place isn't the same" AJ admitted "I don't know if it's because you're gone or this Network launch…it's just all different now and to be honest I really wanted to see Warrior inducted on Saturday that was going to be my highlight of the week"_

"_Who cares what she thinks go" Punk insisted _

"_First of all I already agreed to do a signing at eight and second of all it's way too late to get a date" AJ teased _

"_You want me to fly down for the night?" Punk teased_

"_Oh yea I think Amy would rip my face off" AJ laughed _

"_I wouldn't let her get to you" Punk assured her "Even though she could probably take me out too"_

"_Yea you just stay in Chicago and watch Hockey" AJ said to him "Oh and start putting away some of my things" she added _

"_Anything else I could do for you honey?" Punk mocked lightly _

"_Make sure when you put my chucks away that they're in style order" AJ said to him seriously "But don't touch my action figures I have a system"_

"_Style order?" Punk asked_

"_You know the short tops, the high-tops" AJ informed him _

"_Oh of course" Punk laughed "I'll see what I can do"_

"_Alright go back to hockey so I can eat my food" AJ said to him "I'll call you first thing in the morning. I love you"_

"_I love you too shorty"_

* * *

_The week had gone very fast for AJ and she spent some of her free time with Celeste and her mother. Once Wrestlemania arrived AJ started to get more excited and realized she really was going to miss this. Being the first Diva to defend the Diva's title at Wrestlemania was a big deal no matter how ridiculous the match was. The Undertaker's match was still going on and depending on if his match went over her match might be entirely cut. She was now starting to freak out slightly in the hallways of the stadium but of course-as if he could read her mind- Punk called AJ. _

"_Hi" Punk said to her "How are you holding up?"_

"_I'm good" AJ said to him "Getting nervous"_

"_You'll do great" Punk insisted_

"_If I even get to go on" AJ said to him "Brock and Taker are still fighting"_

"_Yea" Punk said to her "Don't worry you'll have your match you guys might not get to have an entrance though" _

"_I just want to hold that belt above my head in front of thousands of people" AJ admitted_

"_Just hope they don't pull a fast once and have Brock take this match" Punk warned her "I'd hate to have to go on after that"_

"_Ugh they wouldn't do that" AJ groaned "Would they?"_

"_You never know" Punk said to her _

"_You're going to watch my match right?" AJ asked hopefully_

"_Are you insane?" he asked "Of course. I've watched this entire show so far waiting for you"_

"_I'm wearing red tonight" AJ informed him_

"_My favorite color" Punk clearly approved of the choice "And I assume you're wearing my shirt?"_

"_It's my shirt!" AJ argued lightly "It just looks similar to your old one" _

"_Almost identical but hey I don't mind" Punk told her "They knew what they were doing when they designed that shirt for you"_

"_They're so slick" AJ smirked _

"_They didn't warn you not to wear my favorite my color?" Punk questioned _

"_I don't really care. Red boots, red shorts, red thong and a red bra" AJ informed him and she heard him groan _

"_Why did you have to tell me all of that?" Punk sighed _

"_I thought you'd want to know" she replied innocently "They did actually imply I should change my color because my gimmick isn't 'all red everything'"_

"_Who's gimmick is that?" Punk asked seriously _

"_Never mind" AJ laughed "I have to go finish getting ready I'll call you after I'm done"_

"_Ok and be careful, good luck" Punk said to her_

"_Luck is for losers" she replied happily "Love you" then she hung up_

* * *

_The match had went well if you don't count one of the girls losing their top completely and the ref botching AJ's black widow on Trinity. But all in all she was proud of the match and was now just looking forward to handing the torch over to Paige. Speaking of which Hunter was right in selecting Paige because the crowd went nuts when she walked down the aisle and AJ challenged her. She just wished the match could have been longer but she understood time was short and it was a moment that would go down in history. Her remark about being the 'best diva in the world' was adlibbed herself and if Stephanie and Vince weren't happy about it she wouldn't know because neither commented on it. They either didn't care or realized they couldn't do anything about it. AJ packed up and left the arena without so much as saying goodbye to anyone since she hadn't told anyone she was taking off for a while. She had mentioned it to Tamina as she was half way out the door but that was it. She was now on her way to Chicago, her home to start her life. _

_Once she landed in Chicago she thought she would be exhausted but she was oddly energetic and excited to unpack her stuff and get better accustom to her new home. She had told Punk she was planning on taking a cab but he had insisted on picking her up and when she stepped outside he was leaning against his car waiting on her. _

"_Well, well if it isn't the best diva in the world" Punk grinned as she stepped over to him _

"_You liked that?" AJ smirked as he gave her a quick kiss_

"_I love it" Punk confirmed "I'm sure Vince and Hunter didn't" he smirked as he popped his trunk and started to load her bags into it _

"_They didn't say" AJ said to him "I didn't even see Vince before I left and Hunter and Stephanie told me to enjoy my time off"_

"_You ready?" Punk asked slamming the trunk closed "You want to stop to eat first?"_

"_No I want to go home" AJ said with a smile, loving that she was calling his home her home_

"_Ok" Punk smirked opening the door for her to get in then got into the car himself _

"_So on a scale of 1 to 10 how much did you miss me?" AJ asked him seriously as she buckled her seatbelt _

"_What's the scale?" Punk asked just as serious causing her to smirk _

"_1 being not at all 10 being a lot" AJ clarified _

"_Ok so I'd say it was a solid 6" Punk said as he started the car _

"_A 6!" she almost shouted _

"_I'm kidding" He laughed trying to lean in and kiss him but she jerked her head away "A 12" he said to her _

"_12 wasn't on the scale" AJ remarked in a childish voice _

"_I missed you a lot" Punk said seriously "One entire week was way too long. I can't wait to have you all to myself"_

"_What are we going to do?" AJ questioned_

"_We're going to get you settled, we're going to build some shelves because you have a lot more toys-"_

"_-action figures!" she corrected_

"_-right action figures then I first thought, we're going to go to Hockey games and Cubs games and I am going to show you all around Chicago" Punk told her "But just to remind you we have Eve and Rener's wedding on Saturday so we're going to be flying out this Saturday"_

"_Well I haven't flown enough these last few weeks…" AJ mutter then smirked "It's ok it will be worth it"_

"_Also my buddy Luke is getting married next month too" Punk said to her as he pulled away from the airport _

"_Wow we have a lot of weddings" AJ noted _

"_The most important one is in June" Punk reminded her _

"_Did you pick a date yet?" AJ asked him now realizing she had a lot more planning to do. She almost forgot their wedding would be in only a few weeks _

"_No I thought that we would should probably do that together" Punk laughed "Don't worry" _

"_I'm not worried it's just a lot of work" AJ sighed "I'm going to need your help I've never planned a wedding before"_

"_I kind of assumed you hadn't" Punk smirked "Unless you've been secretly married"_

"_It wouldn't be a secret if I told you" AJ teased back _

"_It will be fine" Punk repeated "We'll just pick a day and order food"_

"_Oh I know you're more romantic then that" AJ said to him seriously as she placed her hand behind his ear while he drove. She just needed to feel him again. _

"_Only with you" Punk said to her offering a quick smiled before turning his attention back on the road _

"_Well I have to start looking into dresses" AJ sighed "I'm suck at that"_

"_You can wear anything you want" Punk told her _

"_You'd marry me if I walked down the aisle wearing jeans and t-shirt?" AJ asked _

"_Absolutely" Punk told her _

"_I can do better than that" AJ said to him "I can't wait to see you in a suit"_

"_You've seen me in a suit" Punk mocked "I wore one to CJ's wedding"_

"_This is going to be a new, fresh suit. Not the same suit you've worn to the Hall of Fame and CJ's wedding" AJ said to him "And we need to get rings"_

"_We'll go next week and look at wedding bands" Punk said to her "We'll go where I got your ring" _

"_I can't believe this is all happening" AJ noted "We're both free to spend as much together as we want, we're getting married- it's insane I never imagined any of this"_

"_You never daydreamed of marrying me before?" Punk questioned _

"_Oh come on" AJ laughed "Are you telling me you have?"_

"_So you haven't?" Punk asked _

"_A little" AJ shrugged "I never wanted to get my hopes up" she admitted causing him to frown "Don't give me that face you made it very clear marriage was never in the cards for you that it was something for people to do years ago when they died young, how depressing is that by the way?"_

"_You read that huh?" Punk questioned but he didn't need her to confirm "Look I said in order to get married I needed to meet a woman that would cause me to stop everything and I wasn't sure existed obviously I was wrong" _

"_I really made you stop everything?" AJ questioned with an innocent smile_

"_Darling you made my entire world stop" Punk said seriously "I would barely let my exes into my house let alone move you into it. You are it for me shorty, I can't do any better than you"_

"_I have thought about it" AJ admitted "I actually used to think about it a lot but what you've done for me these last few months is beyond anything I could have ever imagined" her hand had been entwined with his and she lifted her arm to place a sweet kiss on the back of his hand "Thank you"_


	12. Wedding Season

**Part XII: Wedding Season**

* * *

AJ had to resist the urge to chew on her painted black nails. She wasn't nervous she just really wanted to be married already. She peered outside the window and saw some guests were still arriving and the rain was still falling. She had truly enjoyed her time off with Punk but planning their wedding was hectic. And even some of the few moments that weren't supposed to be stressful ended up causing slight friction between the two. There first weekend together they had flown to LA for Eve and Rener's wedding and were staying in the hotel on the same ground of the wedding and looking back now AJ was probably just cranky and smiled remembering how Punk tried to be as patient with her as possible and that was just another reason she had no fears at all about marrying and spending everyday with him…

_Once they arrived in LA AJ was truly exhausted. She was sick of flying and the last thing she wanted to do this weekend was dress up and socialize. She wanted to lay in bed and play video games but Punk had a lot of friends and he insisted on her bringing to every single event. She knew he meant well but she was tired and it was making her irritable. They sat and watched the ceremony, which was beautiful, and couldn't help but wonder if she and Punk should have gone with an outdoor ceremony but the weather in Chicago wasn't the best. As Eve and Rener walked down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife the party moved inside for the reception. _

_Unlike CJ's wedding where AJ knew a couple of people, she barely knew anyone here. She was at a table filled with strangers and the table next to them was filled with UFC fighters and Ronda Rousey was one of the guests. AJ wasn't sure what it was about her that caused her to not like the fighter but she just didn't. Already feeling cranky she frowned as Punk moved over to Ronda's table and laughed it up with everyone including Ronda. He hadn't even invited her wit him so she was stuck on her own. She glanced over and saw more men flock over to the UFC champion, was she jealous? AJ wasn't the type to love a lot of attention but she did when it came from Punk. She frowned at the notion and blamed it all on jetlag. Punk caught her eyes and excused himself and headed back over to her. _

"_Hey" Punk said taking his seat and noticed her dinner was untouched "You're not hungry?"_

"_I was but I was waiting for you" AJ said to him "But now it's cold" she said pushing the dish away slightly causing him to smirk _

"_Come on shorty" Punk grinned "Don't do this here"_

"_Do what?" AJ questioned innocently _

"_You know I love when you're jealous but in this case it's ridiculous" Punk promised her taking a bite of his food "Eat" he instructed _

"_I don't want to eat cold food" She muttered sipping on her drink _

"_Are you really going to insult Eve and Rener by not touching your food?" Punk challenged knowing she would never do that_

"_They won't even know" AJ said folding her arms as Punk opened his mouth to respond Ronda's voice rang loud _

"_Hey hot stuff are you coming back over?" Ronda questioned with a laugh "We need your hockey knowledge" Punk smiled towards Ronda then looked towards AJ _

"_Feel free to join your friend hot stuff I am going to use the bathroom" She said leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek then stood up and walked away from the table _

_When AJ came back from the bathroom Punk was already back at their table and he was anxiously waiting for her. _

"_They want to meet you" Punk said nodding over to Ronda's table _

"_That's ok" AJ said forcing out a laugh "I'm good here"_

"_April" Punk forced out _

"_Phillip" she mocked back _

"_Hey guys" Eve smiled walking over to the two "Having fun?"_

"_Yes it was such a beautiful wedding" AJ said with a wide smile. Punk wasn't sure if he should be afraid of the fact that AJ was able to change her mood on a dime, instead he credited it as to one of the many reasons he loved her _

"_Thank you and thank you for coming" Even beamed "I'm looking forward to your big day though, I hope we get an invite" _

"_Of course" AJ said cutting Punk off before he could answer _

"_You looked great on Sunday by the way" Eve said to her "You did a great job with what they handed you" _

"_Thanks" AJ replied _

"_So the music is going to be starting and I better see you both dancing" Eve warned then walked away _

"_AJ come over and say hi to Ronda" Punk insisted "You'll see she's just friendly"_

"_I can see how friendly she is from my seat" AJ noted bitterly. Punk looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath. _

"_Have you forgotten what a great friend she is to Nattie?" AJ asked him but he didn't respond "How much do you want to bet that when they get together Nattie bashes me to her" _

"_I doubt that" Punk mumbled_

"_Doubt it?" AJ mocked "Nattie wants my belt and Ronda wants my man" _

"_Exactly your man" Punk pointed out "You have nothing to feel threatened over" _

"_How about the fact that she's this awesome woman's fighter while I've been labeled a 'diva'. She carries a belt and I carried around a butterfly on leather straps" AJ pointed out _

"_Wow" Punk said to her "I've never seen you jealous of another woman like this before. I thought it was all about me but it's a professional thing too" _

"_How would you feel if a male champion in UFC called me 'hot stuff' and bragged about how attractive I was online?" AJ asked _

"_How long have you known him?" Punk asked seriously causing AJ to glare at him "Ok you're right I get it. But it's different"_

"_How so?" AJ asked _

"_AJ you were the top woman in the WWE and still will continue to be even though you're gone you're the best" Punk told her honestly ignoring her previous question "Nobody can step into that ring and fill your shoes and I know you're going to start to fear that your spot will be gone but that won't be the case. Ronda is the best at what she does. Do you think she could walk into a WWE ring and be as popular as she is in UFC? She's a monster! Women of her size and dominance never last there. There is zero comparison to the two of you"_

"_It makes me feel insignificant" AJ admitted "I mean look at everyone surrounding her it's like god himself as this reception" she said nodding towards the large crown surrounding the champion _

"_You're not insignificant shorty" Punk told her "Also try to remember half of the UFC employees are here" he smirked "You're the hottest woman at this wedding"_

"_Don't pacify me" AJ warned_

"_I mean it" Punk said to her honestly "No one can hold a candle to you, not even the bride" he added in a whisper causing her to smile. Music started to play and Punk let out a sigh "So are you going to dance with me or am I going to have to ask Ronda?" he asked seriously then smiled when he saw her scowl "Come on" he said standing up and extending his hand to hers "It's a slow song so you're in luck I can dance to that"_

"_Ok" AJ said placing her purse on the table and accepting his hand. They joined other couples on the dance floor and swayed back and forth. They didn't acknowledge anyone else on the dance floor _

"_You do really look beautiful" he noted kissing her lips briefly _

"_Thank you" she said back shyly _

"_And I appreciate you coming tonight even though I know you're tired and cranky" Punk noted _

"_I'm not cranky" AJ pouted _

"_No sleep and no food?" Punk asked_

"_I appreciate their theme with the menu and all and I support it but the food…is just not my thing. I'm a cheeseburger and fries kind of girl" AJ said to him honestly. Eve and Rener fed their guests their special diet, which also meant no cake… "I mean no wedding cake? That's got to be back luck" she whispered causing him to grin _

"_We'll sneak out after the wedding and get you some food" Punk promised _

"_I just want to sleep" AJ muttered resting her head against his chest _

"_Eat first" Punk insisted "I don't want you fainting all over the place"_

"_You're so mean to me" AJ huffed _

"_I love you and want you healthy" Punk corrected "That's different" _

"_Stop hogging her" the voice of Ronda said coming up behind the couple "Even though you two look ridiculously cute and I feel bad for interrupting"_

"_Ronda" Punk said forcing a smile "This is-"_

"_Hi I'm AJ" AJ said extending her hand with a warm smile on her face shaking the hand of the much larger woman _

"_I'm a big fan" Ronda said happily "I've told Punk so many times I wanted to meet you but he's obviously not big on sharing you"_

"_I've been so busy with Wrestlemania" AJ told her politely _

"_I know and I caught the show and I think you are great. Not many athletes have the ability to stay in a 'character' during a match like you. And I have to say the way you can bend the way you do is very impressive" Ronda complemented _

"_Thank you" AJ smiled already feeling at ease _

"_Can I steal her? A few of the guys want to meet her" Ronda said to Punk but before he could respond Ronda ushered AJ over to her table and now it was Punk left standing alone. But he was happy she was getting along with his friends. _

* * *

_Later that night after the wedding Punk snuck out of the hotel to get AJ some 'real' food as she liked to call it. About an hour later Punk walked back into the hotel room where AJ was waiting anxiously for him. _

"_McDonalds was the only place that was open" Punk said holding up the bag _

"_Perfect" AJ smiled clapping her hands together. She was long out of her dress and decked in a pair of shorts and one of Punk's Violent Gentlemen t-shirts. She extended her hands to the bag and opened it, before taking anything out she took a long whiff of it. "Amazing" she said letting out a breath "Thank you baby" _

"_You're welcome" he smirked _

"_You didn't get anything for yourself?" AJ frowned noticing there wasn't enough food for both _

"_Nah I can't eat that stuff" Punk said with a disgusted face "You just enjoy"_

"_Oh I will" she said almost sensually causing Punk to shoot her an odd glare _

"_Can you calm down a bit because I'm starting to think you're enjoying the food more than sex" Punk said seriously causing her to let out a giggle _

"_I mean the food is amazing" AJ said as she ate some fries. Punk just arched a brow as he watched her eat her food "I'll let you know"_

"_Ouch" Punk laughed _

"_I'll make it up to you later" AJ promised unwrapping her burger. _

"_So are we serving McDonalds at our wedding?" Punk questioned_

"_That would be idle" AJ said nodding with a full mouth "I mean your UFC friends might not like it"_

"_They'll eat whatever" Punk said to her _

"_McDonalds isn't fancy enough" AJ said to him "But nothing too fancy either, we're not the fanciest people"_

"_Obviously" Punk grinned "By the way you've got a little something…" he said pointing to under her lip. _

"_I must look so attractive to you right now" AJ replied shyly grabbing a napkin and wiping her chin _

"_You have no idea" Punk said seriously._

_After finishing off her food and making sure she got all the extra fries that fell into the bag, she looked over to Punk. He was clearly enjoying her watching her stuff her face like an animal._

"_What are you looking at?" AJ asked nervously _

"_You" Punk replied coolly "I can watch you for hours"_

"_I can think of something else that we could be doing for hours" AJ teased lightly standing up and taking a seat on the arm of the chair he was sitting on _

"_I thought you were tired" Punk said looking up at her _

"_The McDonalds really rejuvenated me" She said walking over to him and taking a seat on the arm of the chair _

"_Well I'm beat" Punk sighed "That McDonalds was really far away and I did do all that dancing…"_

"_We danced once" AJ frowned "for less than half a song" _

"_Yes and now I'm tired" Punk said standing up and removing his shirt causing her to glare at him "I think I am going to take a nice, steaming hot, looong shower" he said as he unbuttoned jeans and slid out of them _

"_You do that" AJ said falling into the seat he previously occupied _

"_Ok" He said stepping away abruptly and shimmied out of his boxers "If you need me you know where I'll be" he said completely nude but AJ just reached for the TV remote causing him to frown. Next thing she heard was the water going on. She stood up and tried to get the TV on but was surprised when someone grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. _

"_I thought you were tired!" she said _

"_I lied" Punk said to her rushing towards the bathroom _

"_I'm still dressed!" she laughed as he slammed the bathroom door behind them _

* * *

_The next wedding they attended AJ was much more comfortable with… well for the most part anyway. They attended Luke Galows and his bride Amber's wedding in Tampa. AJ was thrilled to be back in Tampa for a bit and another positive was Colt flying down with them. Punk had warned her ahead of time that there would be a few people he wasn't keen on seeing such as Matt Hardy and his ex- Daffney. He hadn't spoken to Matt in years but he knew when Matt was going through his issues he loved to take shots at Punk and it was also no secret he was still having a few issues since he and his wife was arrested not too long ago for domestic violence. Daffney on the other hand he was sure wouldn't mind seeing him. He hadn't spoken to her for years but he knew she had moved same as him. _

_When they arrived for the wedding Punk kept arm wrapped around his fiancées waist. It was also no secret that a lot of TNA 'knockouts' had taken shots at AJ as well. Since she was arguable the most popular Diva in Wrestling today she was on a lot of people's radars. He just hoped everyone would remain respectful but he didn't hold out too much and remained on guard._

_AJ on the other hand loved the attention Punk was giving her at this wedding as opposed to the last. He was practically glued to her side and very affectionate the entire evening. They had managed to avoid mostly everyone on Punk's list but of course at one point Punk was called over by Luke and went to join his friend briefly leaving AJ at the desert table. _

"_You should try the cupcakes" Matt Hardy smiled to AJ "Sorry I saw you were eyeing everything up"_

"_Thanks" AJ smiled _

"_Matt Hardy" Matt said shaking her hand "That's my wife Reby" he said pointing over to Reby who politely waved from her position but was chatting up with some other guests _

"_I know who you are" AJ blushed "I'm a huge fan"_

"_Same here" Matt said to her "I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement, if you are in engaged…" he said nervously "The dirtsheets are usually wrong" _

"_I am and thank you" AJ replied politely _

"_You looked great at Wrestlemania I thought it was a great show" Matt offered and AJ smiled in return "You deserved better than that though"_

"_It is what it is" AJ shrugged slightly _

"_Look I know this is probably awkward because you're with Punk and he was with Amy who was with me-" Matt rambled off_

"_I didn't think it was awkward at all" AJ said with an odd face, she knew he had a motive for approaching her and waiting for Punk to walk off_

"_It's nothing personal AJ but I still consider Amy a good friend of mine and I don't blame you for Punk's behavior and poor choices-" Matt started_

"_Are you saying I'm a poor choice?" AJ shot back but in a sweet voice to keep the peace but she certainly didn't like what he was implying _

"_Amy is special" Matt clarified "That's all I'm saying. Also I know her and Punk had something special for a very long time"_

"_If it was so special I would have assumed he would have asked her to marry him and not me" AJ said still smiling _

"_Touché" Matt laughed "You're very spunky"_

"_I guess that's why Punk keeps me around" AJ remarked _

"_I don't like the way this is going" Matt said nervously "I didn't mean to upset you"_

"_You didn't upset me you insulted me" AJ clarified "And I'm sure you knew exactly what you were doing. I understand you're friends with Amy even though she barely acknowledged you in her hall of fame speech but I don't owe you an explanation for anything"_

"_You paraded around with her boyfriend and flirted with him on camera and on Twitter it wasn't right." Matt told her as if he was a parent scolding a child_

"_Like I said I don't have to explain myself to you or Amy for that matter Punk and I are adults" AJ told him folding her arms "But if you such a problem with the way you think we behaved why did you wait until Punk walked away to ask me about it? Why not ask him?"_

"_I'm sorry AJ I was just trying to stick up for my friend" Matt said to her_

"_What friend?" Punk asked surprising the two as he joined them _

"_Hey Punk" Matt said with a smile extending his hand, Punk didn't want to cause a scene so reluctantly shook the man's hand. _

"_Matt it's been a while" Punk sighed placing his arm around AJ _

"_I was just introducing myself to your wonderful fiancée" Matt offered as Punk just forced a smile and nodded_

"_You done now?" Punk questioned_

"_Yup. Congratulations again" Matt smiled then gracefully bowed out and excused himself_

"_Want to tell me what that was all about?" Punk asked her_

"_Oh Matt was just looking out for Amy's well being" AJ snorted "Am I always going to be a home wrecking whore?" _

"_Is that what he said?" Punk asked with wide eyes_

"_Not directly but it was implied" AJ said but didn't seem bothered. Punk turned and started to walk past her but she grabbed his arm "Leave it alone we're at your friends wedding"_

"_He has no right to say anything about our relationship" Punk said to her and she could see he was getting agitated _

"_Please let's just enjoy this beach wedding. I don't want to break up a brawl. For Luke's sake?" AJ asked gripping onto both sides of his jacket and looking up at him _

"_I really want to tell him where he could stick his opnions" Punk said to her seriously _

"_I know you do baby" AJ soothed as if he was a child "But you're the bigger person"_

"_Ok" Punk nodded capturing her lips with his own but when she tried to pull away he deepened the kiss and before she knew it they were in a full-fledged make-out session in the middle of reception. _

"_Jeez do you two ever come up for air?" the voice of Colt pulled them apart but Punk ignored him and saw Matt was eyeing them and simply waved over to the still bitter man. "Really?" Colt asked looking over to see who Punk was waving at "You two are still at it?"_

"_He ran his mouth off to AJ so this was my way of staying civil" Punk informed him _

"_He's a jerk" Colt reminded him "He's always trying to get under your skin"_

"_So he should be a man and do it to my face and not approach my fiancée" Punk remarked _

"_Let it go" Colt encouraged "Whatever he said isn't worth ruining Luke's wedding"_

"_He's right" AJ said to Punk_

"_Fine" Punk groaned _

"_Cupcake?" AJ asked handing Punk a cupcake _

"_You should get these for your wedding" Colt said seriously taking a bite out of his own cupcake "I mean really good" _

"_Are we going to have cupcakes?" Punk asked AJ who looked confused_

"_I guess" AJ shrugged "We haven't thought about food" she admitted_

"_You don't know what you're feeding everyone?" Colt asked surprised _

"_I just-" AJ started_

"_Shut up it's a surprise" Punk said to Colt "You'll eat anything anyway" _

"_True" Colt agreed "Have you seen Daffney yet?" he asked Punk_

"_Yea Punk?" AJ asked in the same tone _

"_I did and she was very nice" Punk informed the two of them _

"_She didn't punch you in the face?" Colt mocked with a laugh. It was no secret Punk cheated on the young diva back in the day _

"_No she didn't. I'm actually surprised Matt didn't come up to defend her honor as well." Punk smirked _

"_Leave it" Both AJ and Colt warned._

* * *

_Later in the night everyone was inside the beach side restaurant still celebrating when AJ grabbed Punk's hand and forced him to follow her. _

"_Where are we going?" Punk asked, the beach was completely dark you couldn't even see the water from where they were standing. He watched as AJ removed her shoes and smirked "AJ?" he asked and she turned around so her back was facing him _

"_Unzip me" she said to him _

"_Um no" Punk said nervously _

"_You've never declined undressing me before" AJ said still keeping her back to him _

"_You've never asked me to undress you in a public place where people around" Punk said to her "Do I have to go back to this whole 'I don't share' thing?" _

"_They're inside and no one is around, come on." She said to him "Don't be a sissy" _

"_Fine" Punk mumbled unzipping the dress for her and watched as she stepped out of it and it left her in just a strapless white bra and matching panties. Punk carefully stood in front of her so no one could catch a glimpse of her and moved his head around to make sure no one is around. _

"_Ok now you" AJ said turning to face him with a big smile _

"_I'm sorry?" Punk asked laughing _

"_Come swimming with me" AJ lightly begged "We had such a great time that one time…"_

"_No way it's pitch black out" Punk said to her _

"_Are you chicken?" AJ asked egging him on_

"_I'm not the one afraid of the ocean" Punk noted smugly_

"_Could have fooled me" AJ mocked walking backwards towards the shoreline _

"_You're not going to go in that ocean" Punk smirked knowing AJ had her fears about the ocean. He slowly followed her with his hands in his pocket as she kept her eyes locked on his _

"_I want to face my fears" AJ told him _

"_Good but can't you do it daylight?" Punk asked _

"_Are you afraid of the dark?" AJ quipped back_

"_I'm not afraid of anything dear" Punk laughed _

"_Prove it" She said and now she can feel the sand getting moister which meant she was getting closer "You're obviously intrigued if you followed me all the way down here"_

"_I'm following you to protect you from I don't know the crazy rapists and killers" Punk noted with a shrug "You're perfect bait by the way. Half naked on a dark secluded beach" _

"_Exactly secluded- no one is here" AJ said as she felt the waves wash over her feet entirely "You sure?" _

"_I'm not going in" Punk said firmly as he stopped walking once his feet hit the shoreline himself "I'll watch from here"_

"_Ok" she said simply and turned her back to him and headed into the ocean. He wasn't expecting her to actually go in_

"_AJ!" Punk shouted. She wasn't in deep, only a little over her ankles and he could hear her laughing at him "You've made your point come on" he said to her_

"_The water feels great" AJ said to him "You're really missing out!" _

"_AJ" He groaned again but she ignored him and stepped further in but still in his view _

"_Change your mind yet?!" AJ shouted. _

"_Crap" Punk muttered to himself and removed his jacket, pants and shirt slowly before heading into the ocean after her "This is dangerous" Punk said seriously _

"_You sound like a parent" AJ giggled before launching herself at him like she had done the first time they were in the ocean together causing him to topple over with her landing on top of him "Hi" she smiled and even though he wasn't pleased he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was _

"_Hi back" he said to her as the waves crashed against them. She reached down and captured his lips and before long they were in an intimate kiss at close to midnight on the beach. After about fifteen minutes of mild fondling and fooling around they pulled apart._

"_How are we going to explain this?" AJ asked noting how they were both soaked _

"_That's up to you to do" Punk said as he sat up with AJ "This was your idea."_

"_You loved it" AJ grinned nestling into his lap and kissing him again _

"_If we don't stop right now I'm not going to be able to" Punk warned with dark eyes_

"_Ok, ok" AJ said standing up first and extending her small hand to his to help him up. _

"_Ah my clothes are covered in sand" Punk said shaking out his pants and jacket _

"_Punk!" She screamed. He quickly jerked his head and saw AJ soaking wet, hopping along the shoreline "It got me!" she screamed as he headed over to her _

"_What did?" Punk asked concerned _

"_There's a crab on my toe!" She screamed "Get it off, get it off, get it off please!" _

"_Stop jumping" Punk insisted "Sit on the sand" he said helping her sit on the beach and then kneeled in front of her himself _

"_How big is it?" AJ asked holding back tears. It wasn't the fact that the crab attached to her toe hurt it was just the fact that a fear had come true. _

"_It's a tiny little hermit crab" Punk assured her and within a second it was gone. _

"_Is it bleeding?" she asked helplessly not being able to see _

"_No" Punk said running his hand over foot and lightly kissed her toe "All better" _

"_Thank you" she sniffled slightly _

"_Did it really hurt that bad?" Punk asked amused _

"_No I was just shocked" AJ admitted "That's what I get for being adventures- never again" _

"_Oh don't say that" Punk said to her "I love this side of you" _

"_Look what it got me!" AJ said pointing to her toe from where was sitting_

"_I took care of it didn't I?" Punk asked and she couldn't help but agree "Come on" he said helping her up. He headed back to his clothes but frowned when AJ wasn't directly behind him "Come on shorty let's get you dressed before I beat someone up for looking at you" _

"_I'm coming" she said looking closely at the sand as she carefully walked "I'm looking out for crabs" Punk dressed himself with his suit sticking to his wet body. He walked over to her and turned his back to her_

"_Hop on" he said kneeling down so she could climb onto his back _

"_Really?" AJ asked "You're going to get all wet"_

"_I'm already wet" Punk assured her "Come on" _

"_Ok" she said happily hopping on his back. She locked her arms around his neck and locker her legs around his waist_

* * *

AJ laughed at the memory and still to this day wasn't sure what possessed her to run into the ocean that night but she was glad she did. Her and Punk always had great memories at the beach. She blushed when they re-entered the wedding reception and even though most of the guest were gone Colt had been waiting on them. They gave him some crazy story about a crab, and falling into the water but Colt wasn't buying it but neither cared. AJ was now only five minutes away from the big day and it was like everything came flooding back to her…


	13. You're Marrying Me

**Part XIII: You're Marrying Me**

* * *

AJ was giving herself one final inspection before heading down the aisle. She heard the door open but didn't turn around expecting it to be her father.

"I'm almost ready" AJ said playing with her hair a bit

"You look…" the voice started but was at a loss for words. AJ froze realizing it wasn't the voice of her father and quickly turned around and was stunned to see Punk admiring her as he closed the door behind him "…wow" he said with a cheeky grin

"What are you doing here?" AJ demanded trying to cover herself with her long vale "You're not supposed to see me before the wedding"

"Well you should have thought of that before you snuck downstairs earlier" Punk smirked placing his hands in his pockets "And I don't believe in luck you know this already"

"You saw me?" AJ asked loosen her grip on her vale so Punk had a full view of her gown

"I felt you first" Punk retorted taking a step closer "Then I saw you and I had to come up and make sure you didn't make a break for it" he said in a light tone

"I would never do that" AJ said to him shaking her head slightly "I just wanted to see you"

"Seriously shorty you look amazing" Punk said eyeing her from head to toe

"Thank you" she replied shyly. He knew she wasn't big on accepting compliments "You should go before someone spots you"

"Spots me in your room?" Punk laughed "I don't really care."

"I'm not even finished getting ready" AJ insisted

"Oh you're ready" Punk said seriously "So what are you thinking about?"

"What?" AJ asked surprised

"When I saw you downstairs you looked completely zoned out" Punk smiled "You didn't even notice that I saw you"

"I was thinking about us" AJ told him with a slight grin

"All good I hope" Punk teased

"It's all been good" AJ said to him as she stepped over to him

"I was thinking about you too" Punk admitted grabbing her hands and taking them into his own

"What were you thinking about?" AJ questioned

"About the first time we met" Punk said lifting one of her small hands and kissing it lightly "And how I knew I was going to marry you at that very moment" AJ was thinking back to the memory herself and she realized he was right

"You did say that" AJ said remembering it fondly

* * *

_Punk was backstage for NXT and since he was going to be commentating. He could have thought of a hundred other things he'd rather be doing but he was playing by Vince's rules since it was his show and he didn't want his injury to hold him back. He wandered the halls looking down at his phone he didn't even realize someone else was coming down the hall into he plowed into them, or more like they plowed into him. Punk's phone fell to the hard floor but he remained standing._

_"Crap" Punk commented as he reached for his phone "How about you watch you're going?" Punk demanded but saw no one until he looked down and saw a tiny brunette who had clearly landed on her butt and items sprawled out around her._

_"I'm sorry" AJ replied nervously getting on her knees and collecting the items that fell out of her batman bag "I wasn't paying attention, I'm really, really sorry" Punk frowned seeing how nervous the NXT diva was, he was sure it was one of the girls but she certainly looked different from the times she had been dressed up on TV._

_"Let me help" Punk insisted kneeling down_

_"No it's ok" AJ said_

_"I hope this isn't broke" Punk said passing her back her DS_

_"It would be my karma" AJ sighed "I was in the middle of a game when I ran into you" Punk smiled at her but she kept her eyes on the floor and watched as she filled her bag back up with games for her DS and a few comics, along with a super Nintendo wallet._

_"What are you playing?" Punk questioned_

_"Pokemon" She said feeling slightly embarrassed_

_"A girl with a batman backpack, a DS and Batman comics- you're every nerds dream" Punk commented as he stood back up followed by AJ_

_"I'm a big nerd" AJ admitted to the still strange man. None of the main roster had bothered to get to know the NXT girls yet._

_"Look I'm sorry for biting your head off" Punk said to her. He was actually feeling bad for snapping on her, normally he wouldn't. "I was walking and texting"_

_"Seriously it's my fault" she said to him brushing off his apology_

_"So do you play anything other than Pokemon?" Punk questioned. He wasn't quit ready to end this conversation with this rookie. She was refreshing._

_"I actually happen to play everything" AJ told him smugly causing him to smile "You name it and I can guarantee you I've beaten it"_

_"Wow" Punk laughed as he found her arrogance to be very amusing "Grand theft Auto?"_

_"That's child's play" AJ smirked "And I have a feeling the next game you're going to name is Assassins Creed so let me save you some time and tell you yes. I beat it in two nights"_

_"You really are a nerd" Punk remarked again but gave her an approving smile and head nerd "I kind of dig nerds" he said kneeling in slightly to be eye level with her. AJ wasn't sure how to reply so she just gave him a tight smile, she wasn't sure if he was just teasing he. "I'll tell you what to make up for the fact that I knocked you down tonight how about after the show you meet me on my bus and we'll play a few games"_

_"What do you have?" AJ questioned folding her arms_

_"You name it, I've got it" Punk smirked_

_"Well as fun as beating you sounds I can't tonight" she said to him. She had known off CM Punk's reputation and wasn't going to be another notch in his belt she thought to herself_

_"What could be more important than spending time with a two time former heavyweight champion?" Punk asked curiously_

_"My boyfriend" AJ smirked causing Punk to bit on his bottom lip and smile slightly. She had just turned him down. He wasn't sure if his ego was bruised or he was impressed by her bluntness. Either way AJ had just become a challenge to him and he gladly accepted._

_"Boyfriend?" Punk mocked "That's a waste of time"_

_"And why is that?" AJ asked eyeing him oddly_

_"Because you're going to be marrying me" Punk teased "I'll see you out there shorty"_

_"I'm not that short" AJ huffed annoyed_

_"Oh you are" Punk said seriously then gave her a wink before walking away_

* * *

"See" Punk grinned as he gazed into her eyes

"You were just trying to get laid" AJ snorted

"Maybe" Punk nodding in agreement "Or maybe I believe in love at first sight"

"You're not that romantic" AJ said to him causing him to snort

"I think I have more than proven how romantic I am" Punk remarked arrogantly

"I guess" AJ smiled "If you knew back then that you were going to marry me what took you so long?"

"Took me so long?" Punk asked mockingly "Less than six months into our relationship I slapped a ring on your finger"

"No I mean before all of that" AJ clarified "What took us so long to get to this point if it always felt so right?"

"It's like I told you right before we started dating I didn't want to ruin what we had" Punk admitted "Once I got to know you I never wanted to lose you"

"I wonder what would have happened if I went with you onto your bus that night" AJ said to him but he smiled

"I would have seduced you" Punk said seriously causing her to let out laugh

"You really thought I was that easy?" AJ asked still laughing

"No but I knew you and I had a connection" Punk said "I'm kind of glad you didn't take me up on my offer, I've really enjoyed this journey and you were well worth the wait" he leaned in slightly to kiss her but she jerked away quickly causing him to groan

"No" she said sternly "The next time you kiss me it will be when we're pronounced man and wife. No freebies" she said shaking her finger

"I can't wait" Punk smiled running his hand down her cheek "You're always playing hard to get"

"You're going to have to" AJ warned "Now get down there before everyone thinks you ditched me"

"Ok" Punk said giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he smiled proudly that he snuck a kiss anyway

"Jerk" AJ muttered wiping the kiss away

"Are you sure you're not going to run out on me?" Punk asked before leaving the room

"I promise" AJ confirmed "Only if you promise not to let me fall on my face because I was forced into heels" she said lifting her dress slightly to show the small heel her mother and sister begged her to wear

"I pinky promise" he said extending his pinky to her. She smiled at the gesture that had become a common action between the two. She gladly wrapped her smaller pinky around his and waited for him to seal it with a kiss which he always did…

"And a kiss to seal the deal" AJ whispered as she watched his lips move away from her finger

"Always" he assured her

"I really love you" AJ said seriously

"I know" Punk grinned kneeling down to be eyelevel with her just as he did the first time he met.

* * *

**A/N: I warned you all this would be a short story. I hope everyone enjoyed it, we'll see about an 'actual' wedding one-shot once the real wedding take place. I'm sure we'll got some kind of information to motivate me lol Anyway thank you everyone for reviewing and I hope you liked it...but it's on to the next story for me. See you in a couple of days! P.S- shameless plug but look for me on Twitter- broe929 **


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